The Twelve
by immo
Summary: The continuation of 'a few new tricks'. Shego/Kim, Kigolicious goodness. :D
1. Prologue

The Twelve: Prologue

Kim Possible fanfiction

immo - R

author's note: Firstly, gung hei fat choi! Happy Lunar New Year's, kids! And since this is my year, the year of the Rat, I decided I wanted to give all of you faithfuls a surprise.

This.

Is.

The.

Continuation.

To...

a few new tricks.

Now lets hope I don't get distracted by my surroundings and stop writing halfway. I'm SOOOO sorry it took so long. honestly.

* * *

"Kimmie, wake up." Kim grinned in her sleep and burrowed further into the blankets. It was a bright sunny day, and the light hit them squarely, making her feel toasty warm. Shego's lips tickled the back of her neck with kisses, and despite trying her hardest to feign sleep, she giggled. Finally, she turned around to face the person who disturbed her sleep, delighting in those sly eyes.

"I was having such a good dream," Kim complained. Shego had captured Kim's hands and brought them up to brush her chapped lips against scarred knuckles.

"Oh?" drawled Shego, changing her tactics and continued her amorous assault, this time on Kim's neck. "Was I in it?"

"Nope."

"Can't be that good then."

Kim chuckled and didn't answer, closing her eyes as Shego leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead. Bliss. This was bliss.

"I don't know what'll happen if you had actually died..." Kim whispered, meeting Shego's emerald gaze with her own. "I'm so glad you came back."

"Good thing Stoppable found the fountain of life, huh?" Shego said thoughtfully. "Remind me to thank him for that."

"The day you thank Ron for something is--hun?" Kim blinked, touching a corner of Shego's mouth. Blood was trickling out of her lips. "Shego, you're bleeding."

"Oh, that. Don't worry about it." Shego wiped at the blood with the back of her hand and bent her head down to cough discretely into the blankets. "Comes and goes."

"Shego!" Kim was alarmed. The pale woman's cough had brought up a glob of blood, which Shego was trying to hide. "Coughing up blood is never a thing to NOT worry about! Oh my god, we've got to get you to a hospital!"

"Too late, Kimmie." Kim looked up into the metamorphed reptilian face of Shego. Kim knew without checking that there would be a gaping hole in Shego's chest where Xaio Qing had punched her hand through. Kim cupped that gentle face in her hands and kissed Shego, sobbing. They were on the battlefield again. All the people involved stood around, frozen in shades of brown. In the corner of Kim's vision, red was slowly seeping in.

"No, Shego, no..." Kim cried. Xaio Qing might as well have ripped HER heart out too. The pain was too much to bear.

"I'm sorry, pumpkin..." Shego smiled through the blood that continued frothing past her lips.

Kim opened her eyes blearily, feeling hot and sweaty all over. The late afternoon sun hit her body squarely.

She was alone, in a sterile white room.

She had been living alone these past few months. And to the world's knowledge, had dropped off the face of the earth.

Her family came by some times to check on her, but everytime they came calling and she was home, she would ignore the ringing doorbell until they went away.

Kim curled up in her blankets, turned her back to the sun and closed her eyes. Her home away from home. The room was headache-inducing white. There was a balcony, a small kitchenette, a small closet and a small washroom. Her rented apartment was barely furnished, only a futon sitting in the middle of the room. She rarely cooked, but she used the microwave a lot. There were no clocks to remind her of the passing of time, and she liked it that way. She had an alarm clock before, but she threw that out when she found herself perpetually glancing at it.

She had nowhere to be, nowhere to go. Why would she need a clock?

Kim Possible found that, when she did have a timepiece, she used it not to gauge what time of day it was, but to watch hungrily, waiting, for something. Anything.

Every moment was torturous and every breath felt like work. Every minute alive was excrutiating and she found that it was even more so when she watched every... slow... second... tick... by. Impatience gnawed at her sanity.

So she threw her clock away.

It had been five months since Shego died.

Shego. Dead.

That name and that word just didn't belong together. It didn't make any sense at all.

Kim Possible leaned over the washroom sink wearily, not knowing how she got there. There were these... lapses in her memory now. She didn't care. Every night was cold and bleak. Every day was a battle to get through. But Kim preferred the daylight and wakefulness. She had control when she was conscious, unforgiving sunlight bathed everything, illuminated everything. Made them real to her.

Night-time, darkness and the shadows they brought... were things that she started dreading. Dreading so much that her sleeping patterns were something of a mess.

Something, just in the corner of her vision. No matter how fast she spun to try to catch that elusive shadow, it always stayed out of her sight. Just in the corner of her vision.

Sometimes she stayed awake for days on end, or did the opposite and slept like she was dead. Sometimes she found she'd wake up from her slumber during day or night and was so sure she heard a wry, familiar chuckle.

Sometimes, Kim Possible called out that name.

"Shego?"

But nobody would ever answer. Sometimes tears would fall and sometimes she was just too drained for tears. She'd crawl into bed and hope to god that she dreamed of oblivion. Sometimes she was lucky, most times, Kim was not.

Her pale-skinned enemy was always waiting in her dreams for her. Even if she wasn't there, her presence was felt, as only dreamers could feel.

There would be passion, warmth, hungry devouring kisses; the kind that you wake up from still feeling and still yearning for more.

There would be confrontations that lead to blows that Kim swore she still felt in the morning, phantom pains that she clung on to and hoped were real.

Those dreams she could deal with. She could deal with those. They were painful, clawing at the corners of the never-healing wound that Shego left there when she died.

Kim couldn't deal with the dreams of that one memory that replayed in her mind when she was awake.

In wakefulness, the memory was painful, yes. But past. In the past.

In dreams, the memories were vivid and life-like. In dreams, it was real everytime. And the hero would have that dream of blood, of that look in Shego's eyes as she died. Her ragged body. And in between these painful horrors, dream-world Kim would remember how much she loved everything about Shego. It would all happen again, that murder.

Gut-wrenching guilt.

Kill her. Kill Xaio Qing. Why didn't you kill her?

Dream-world Shego never asked her that question. Dream-world Shego loved her too much to put her through that. Dream-world Kim asked her that question.

Why didn't you kill your lover's murderer?

Why didn't you kill that monster?

Wearily, Kim dipped her hands underneath the ice-cold water of her bathroom faucet, splashing the water on her face.

"Wake up, wake up." Kim slapped herself lightly on the cheek, looked into the mirror and noted the physical marks Shego's death had left on her body. Relished it like she relished that burn mark Shego had left on her hip long ago.

Dark circles rimmed her eyes. Her cheeks, sallow and drawn; like a skeleton's. Her hair hung in limp, oily strands. Kim was grimly satisfied with her physical deterioration. It wasn't fair... it just wasn't fair that Shego died and she was still here.

Not for the first time, Kim crumpled to the floor, felt the grief jerk out tears from her. She savagely bit into her hand, muting the screams she wanted to let out.

endnote: as always, tell me what you think! :D


	2. Unpleasant News

Unpleasant News

Kim Possible fanfiction

immo - rated not for kids

author's note: Here's the official first chapter to The Twelve. Lets do a little disclaimer here, this has slash in it, and if anybody's uncomfortable, please don't continue reading. I respect your right to be uncomfortable, please respect my right to love slashing.

* * *

Ron knocked on the door one more time.

Waited.

"I know you're in there, KP."

No answer.

He blew out a breath in frustration. He had been coming almost every day, several times a day. He had taken to doing his homework outside Kim's apartment, his back to the door.

"Go in?" Rufus looked up at his master, but the blonde shook his head. Kim needed time. Even though it had been a good long while, he knew better than to rush her. He was her best friend, what didn't he know? Sure, he was a goof at times, but he knew.

Of course, he was only human and sometimes he got impatient.

"Kim! I swear I'm going to kick down this door! You know I can, too!"

But he never did.

Kim retained her silence, for the most part. But he would catch the sound of crying sometimes and feel absolutely miserable that he could do nothing for his best friend. Feel absolutely helpless in the face of her depression and wonder if he should just go, if he was a bother.

"Ron?"

He had fallen asleep beside her door again.

"Kim!" Rufus' tiny voice woke him completely, and he turned around to look up at Kim. She looked horrible, he couldn't help thinking. Looked like she hadn't slept in days. But the smile on her face was as beautiful and inspiring as ever.

"Thanks."

The blonde grinned, getting up to his feet hastily.

"You should stop coming here. I'm no use."

"Until you stop thinking like that, I'm here everyday. KP." Ron said stubbornly. Once in a while, Kim would open the door and talk to him. Usually a thank you. Today was one of those days that felt like he was rewarded for his persistence. "Come on. How about we go grab some dinner?"

"Ron," Kim's face crumpled a bit. 'Ron, please--"

The familiar sound of the Kimmunicator going off interrupted whatever Kim was going to say. And before Ron could even decide whether or not to answer, Wade's voice could be heard.

"Ron! Ron, are you there?"

Ron quickly put his foot in the doorway so Kim couldn't close the door.

"One second, KP." Ron begged. Monique, the twins, Wade, Dr. Lipsky (a.k.a the reformed Dr. Drakken) and him were all that was left of Team Possible. They had more people than they started out with, sure; but recently, they had been getting a lot of calls. A lot of weird calls. And if this was one of them again...

"Ron here."

Wade's familiar face was a welcome sight. "Get to the Possible house, we have guests."

Kim had walked into the apartment while Ron was talking, but now she was back at the doorway listening intently.

"Um, what kinda guest?" Ron asked nervously, aware of Kim's scrutinization.

"The kind from where we got Kim back from."

* * *

"Kimmie-cub!" Her parents were ecstatic to see her, rushing from their seats to embrace her, with everyone else lined up to get a little bit of Kim. The redhead, after her self-imposed isolation, felt overwhelmed by this show of affection.

"Girl, where have you been?" Monique was the next in line to hug Kim. Her brothers joined in and then everybody decided it was a free-for-all group hug, with even Dr. Lipsky in the mix.

"Hey, guys." Kim gave them a pained smile. Her smile dropped a little when she noticed the abbot, Nam Ho, and his brother, Vince a.k.a Cheung, standing there in her family's dining room.

"Nam Ho. Cheung." Kim addressed them, a careful expression on her face. What had brought them here?

"Hey," Cheung gave her a smile, and she couldn't help feeling a little bit happy to see an old friend. A diamond stud gleamed in his ear. His signature accessory. Kim felt so nostalgic as that gem sparkled and gleamed in the light. "How are you?"

"I'm... fine." Kim lied. "How are ah Fong and Ting--your son?"

Cheung grimaced at the reminder of his daughter who had never been. "They're fine. Fong is doing well and David is getting fatter by the second."

"Great." There was an awkward silence again. Then Vince spread his arms shyly, a small smile on his face. "Five months of not seeing you and I don't even get a hug?"

Kim genuinely smiled this time and embraced the Chinese man in a hug. His scent was so familiar, woodsmoke, the smell of foreign foods that had not been so foreign to her five months ago, his cologne. It brought some happy tears to her eyes. Vince, however small his role, was part of that world where she had first known Shego. Really known Shego.

"Smiles, Kim." Vince gave her that dimply smile again and motioned for everyone to take a seat. In Chinese, teasingly, he added, "Just come from a workout? You smell like you'd been attacked by skunks!"

Kim had a decency to look a little bit embarassed and was glad that only Nam Ho could understand the words.

"Be a little bit more polite, sai lo." Nam Ho scolded, noting Kim's reddening cheeks. Cheung only laughed a bit and spared Kim to give some attention to Tigger, who had decided to lie on his back at the Chinese man's side until he got a belly-rub from Vince.

"Sooo..." Mr. Dr. Possible was first to speak, looking from Vince to Kim. Actually, glaring at Vince and then giving Kim a panicky look. "How do you know my daughter?"

"We're friends, sir." Cheung, not noticing how close he was to death, answered innocently. "We met in She Cun, when she was there with Shego."

That name caused everybody to stir a little bit. Everyone looked like they wanted to ask questions, but they all looked like they didn't know where to start. Dr. Lipsky spoke up first.

"Shego... was there with you since six, seven years ago, am I correct?" He asked. Cheung nodded. Dr. Lipsky continued. "Was she... was she happy there?"

Kim knew the answer before Vince said it, of course.

"She was very happy there." Vince said simply. Dr. Lipsky's shoulders slumped a bit. He had wanted Shego to have missed him...

"But she did say from time to time if a certain... Dr. D?... would be okay without her."

Dr. Lipsky brightened up a bit more now. "She did? Well, of course she did!" He turned to Tim, beaming a smile that threatened to break his face in half. "Shego worries about me!"

"You must be her Dr. D, then." Cheung nodded and grinned at the blue-coloured man. The doctor, was beside himself with emotion. Looking right and left at the gathering, everyone could see that tears were starting to form at the corners of his eyes.

"Yes. I'm her Dr. D." He sniffled loudly. "ScusemeIhavesomethinginmyeye."

With that hurried excuse, Dr. Lipsky exited the room.

"Well." Abbot Nam Ho looked around at the table. "I'd like to say how sorry my brother and I are, to have disturbed you this late in the evening. Our flight was delayed and we thought we'd be able to make it here by late afternoon at latest."

"Its no problem." Now assured that there was nothing going on between his daughter and these men, Mr. Dr. Possible was in a more hospitable mood. "The two of you should stay the night! Its not often that we have guests! Well, other than Ronald, but he's practically family!"

"Thank you so much for the offer." Vince nodded his head in thanks and Mr. Dr. Possible mimed the action self-importantly. "And we didn't bring any gifts--"

"That's quite alright." Mrs. Dr. Possible smiled warmly. "There's no need for that!"

The polite back-and-forth between the parents and the guests would have gone on for quite some time, one might imagine, if Kim hadn't cleared her throat to get everyone attention.

"Nam Ho, Cheung, I'm happy to see the both of you, really." Kim conjured up a ghost of a smile. "But I think you guys have a reason to be here? Not like you're not welcome, but I don't think this is just a simple housecall."

The Chinese brothers exchanged looks, looking very much like any two brothers trying to pass off the dirty work to the other. Finally, in this silent communication, Vince sighed, signalling his defeat. Running a hand over his shorn scalp, he glanced around nervously.

"Kim. We... we need you to come back with us to--"

"NO!" Several voices shouted at once. But it was Kim's quiet 'no' that made them pause.

"No." Kim repeated herself calmly, just to make sure she was heard.

"But--"

"No." Kim shook her head and pushed away from the table. Her face was devoid of any emotion. "I don't want to go back. Ever. I can't."

"Kim--"

"Stop. There's nothing you can possibly say that can make me go back to She Cun, or to Er Mei, or ANYWHERE in China for that matter." The redhead put her hands over her ears. The childish gesture made Vince look at Nam Ho in exasperation.

"I'm going to bed." The redhead announced when it seemed that nobody else would try to change her mind. "Goodnight."

As she made for the exit to the dining room, Mrs. Dr. Possible called out hopefully. "Upstairs?"

Kim paused. It had been a while. And she didn't want these people, these people that she associated with Shego, to know that things were out of the ordinary. She wanted, no, Kim Possible needed them to believe that she was doing fine.

"Don't I always sleep upstairs, mom?" Kim smiled. "Goodnight, everyone!"

When Kim had exited, Mr. and Mrs. Dr. Possible shot the two men a stern look.

"She's not going back there. It took us forever to get her back."

Nam Ho and Cheung took a few seconds to confer with each other in hushed Chinese, then turned back to the Possible clan and Team Possible, all who were glaring at the two in a very unwelcoming way.

"We're sorry to have disturbed you." Nam Ho apologized nicely. "Please forgive us. We're not here to take your daughter. We're here to ask her for help. Her and Team Possible. As she has prior knowledge of our village, we wanted to contact her before we try any other organization. We really need help."

"What kinda help?" Monique, substitute leader of Team Possible asked.

"Its... actually, maybe..." Vince started to say and trailed off, looking at his brother for help.

"Maybe, we should talk to everyone about this tomorrow." Nam Ho helped his floundering brother. And everyone present knew that the 'everyone' Nam Ho referred to was Kim. "We'll leave after we explain our situation, and if Kim doesn't want to take up this case, then we understand, and we'll leave."

"Well, then I guess there's nothing more to be said here." Mrs. Dr. Possible rose from her seat, a pleasant smile on her face. She was pretty happy because from her daughter's reaction, she knew that Kim would not be going with them. "Can I show you gentlemen to your room? We only have one guest room, I'm afraid--"

"You don't need to trouble yourself because of us," Abbot Nam Ho grinned. "We're used to sleeping on rocks. Anything you offer in this lovely house of yours would be infinitely better than what we have to make do with at home."

Cheung grinned and then put on a pious look. "We're simple folk from the countryside."

As Mrs. Dr. Possible got the guests settled in, Kim was standing in the middle of her room, alone, feeling awkward. A scratching at her door was the only warning she got before Tigger's head peeked in. He gave her a low whine and pawed the air, requesting permission for admission.

"Come here, boy." Kim motioned. That was all the permission Tigger needed and the black-faced dog bounced up on the bed happily.

"Hey girl," Monique and Ron were next. "Mind if we come in too?"

"Why not." Kim sighed. She turned to look at her assortment of stuffed animals, lined up for her perusal.

"I'm so glad to see you home, sweetheart." Mr. Dr. Possible was next. Seeing that there was already people inside, he stepped into the room hopefully.

"I'm not home." Kim whispered to herself. Nobody heard her.

Home. What a... strange concept. She recognized all these things, all these people that she had such a close connection with. Each momento, each little item placed carefully in the room was all done by her hands. But why was it that everytime she looked at that soft inviting bed, this familiar room and the people who loved her so much... there seemed to be such a disconnect. Her room in Er Mei was home. Beautiful canopied bed, cotton sheets that smelled of... a person. Braziers blazing warmly in winter. No matter how cold it got, it was always kept warm for her. A body next to her, breathing softly at night and holding her so lovingly that Kim believed that in those arms she would never ever EVER be hurt. And that she could never ever be happier than in that protective embrace.

'Home.' Kim thought with a pang of anguished longing.

Her room had become slightly crowded while she was giving her room a once-over. Tim and Jim were at the doorway, respecting their sister's privacy by not entering her room without her express permission which was a complete 180 from what they usually did. Which was storm their older sister's room despite all her attempts to keep them out. Mrs. Dr. Possible had settled the guests in the extra room and had also decided to drop in on Kim and see how she was doing. There was just too many people... and to make them leave, she promised to stay the night and excused herself into the bathroom to wash and change.

'Shego.' She was so sick of thinking of that name, saying that name. Seeing a flash of green and black in the corners of her vision... turning hopefully even though she knew it wouldn't be her. Kim took off her shirt, exposing pale white skin underneath. Her body, even after a few months of relative inactivity, still retained its glorious form. Not as muscular as when she was at Er Mei, but still a body any gymnast would have envied.

She stepped into the bathtub and turned on the shower, starting a bit as the cold water hit her body. Gradually, the temperature of the water rose, colouring Kim's skin an angry red.

'Like a lobster,' The redhead thought idly as she reached for the shampoo. She felt a little bit embarassed by Cheung's comment. She had been neglecting her hygiene lately...

Out of the shower, her room had emptied out and only Ron and Monique were there. And of course, the animals.

"Sleepover!" Ron said hopefully. Sleeping bags had been spread out all over the floor, and Tigger had already made himself comfortable, sleeping on his back with his tongue lolling out. Rufus had his nightcap on already and was doing his nightly calisthenics on her dresser. He also had a space spread out for himself amongst her cuddle buddies.

Kim smiled in resignition, suddenly too tired to argue. Seeing Abbot Nam Ho and Cheung in Middleton had sapped all the energy out of her. All she wanted to do was sleep. And her two friends saw that and respected that up to a point. When Kim had settled into her sheets and was about to fall asleep, she was awoken briefly by someone climbing up onto the bed.

"No, Tigger." The heroine said sleepily.

"I'm not the dog." Monique said simply before she settled under the covers next to Kim. The redhead felt herself freeze as her friend draped an arm over her and pulled her close.

"Don't go nowhere." Monique whispered worriedly. Kim gave the barest hint of a nod, which Monique couldn't catch in the dark.

Seeing that her best girl friend was still waiting for a reply, Kim cleared her throat. "Alright."

Before long, Ron had joined them, swearing that he was gentleman and that there would be no hanky-panky. Both Ron and Monique fell asleep before Kim did. The redheaded woman sandwiched between her best friends felt oddly... good. She hadn't felt like this in a long time. It was warm and reminded her so much of her time in Er Mei.

'I could close my eyes and pretend.' Kim closed her eyes and did just that, trying to imagine Shego's scent and her deep even breathing.

For the first time in a long while, Kim drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Sunlight woke her.

Kim opened her eyes blearily, confused when she saw plaster stucco ceiling instead of the wooden beams of her roof in Er Mei.

'Right. I'm not there anymore.' Kim blinked the sleep out of her eyes and looked around the room. The sleeping bags had been cleaned up and Monique, Rufus and Ron were nowhere to be seen. Tigger was the only one there. The german shepherd dog jumped up onto the bed, snuffling and licking Kim's face until he was sure that she was truly awake. After determining this fact, he leaped off the bed and bounded out of the room, barking excitedly.

"Hm." Kim looked after the dog, at a loss, not knowing what to do next.

'I shold probably make myself presentable and see off Cheung and his brother.' Kim decided. It had been a while since her day had a goal of any sort. It was hard for her to get from step one to step two. But finally, after a short time in the bathroom, she deemed herself presentable and headed downstairs. A delicious scent wafted up the stairs and she found herself hurrying a bit. She knew this smell.

"Just in time. Grubs up!" Cheung grinned, his diamond stud winking at her. He had just come out of the kitchen to place a covered pot on the dining table.

"Kim Possible!" Dr. Lipsky greeted her with a raised fork. He had a napkin tucked under his chin and a knife in the other hand, looking very eager for the meal to start. Ron and Monique grinned at her mischievously.

"Zao an." Kim said good morning in Chinese, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Bu shi zao an, shi wu an." Cheung corrected. "Good afternoon. Not good morning. We decided to let you sleep in. Our flight isn't until tonight, anyways."

"Sorry," Kim apologized, taking a seat next to Ron.

"We went grocery shopping while you were sleeping, KP." Ron informed excitedly. "We're having Chinese!"

"No chickenballs, though." Monique said teasingly. Ron and Dr. Lipsky blushed to the tips of their ears.

"Where's my family?" Kim looked around the dining room.

"Jim and Tim's been missin' too much schooltime. Mama Possible sent them off in the morning." Monique informed. "Your dad just popped out to get something, he's staying home today. Your mother was gonna stay home too, but she got an urgent call from the hospital so she couldn't stay."

"But we'll leave some food for her, of course." Abbot Nam Ho called from the kitchen. He came out of the kitchen with a platter of noodles, its scent causing all within the room to wish that they could start eating ASAP.

"Off the table, Tigger." Kim scolded when she saw that the dog had taken a seat next to Monique. The dog looked balefully at Kim then let out a series of high-pitched barks, then directed them at Rufus who was sitting on the table, fork and knife ready. He even had a napkin tied around his neck.

"What?" the naked molerat asked.

Kim sighed. "Fine, Tigger. You can stay. But you're not serving yourself."

Tigger barked a happy affirmative.

"This is so awesome!" Ron's eyes were as wide as platters as more and more food was brought out, a worthy spread for lunchtime in everyone's opinion. "You two have to give me the recipe for everything!"

"Really simple." Abbot Nam Ho replied cheerily, bringing the last of the dishes to the table. "But you must invest in a wok."

"I'm back!" Mr. Dr. Possible's voice floated in from the front hallway, accompanied by the slamming of the door. "Mmmm... Something smells DEE-licious! Is that Ronald's doing?"

"No sir," Ron called back. Mr. Dr. Possible ducked his head into the dinng room, holding a couple of bottles of coca-cola under his arms.

"Sir, this is our way of thanking you for letting us stay the night." Nam Ho and Cheung stood up as soon as Mr. Dr. Possible entered the room, giving him a polite nod. Overwhelmed by this show of courtesy, father Possible stood up a bit straighter and gave them a manly nod back. Lunch went by fast, with everybody trying to get as much food as possible. There were brown-coloured flat noodles stir-fried with beef, baby bok choi cooked with garlic, chicken fried rice, another vegetable dish with a leafy plant Cheung called 'choi sum', a sort of vegetable pancake that tasted better than it looked, a chicken that had been baked with salt and so on. Saving food for Mrs. Dr. Possible had looked impossible, if Cheung hadn't revealed that he had the foresight to save some already before he brought the dishes out.

"If you guys didn't like it, then I thought I could have just wrapped it up and you could have thrown it away when I left." Cheung grinned, revealing his face-saving method. "My cooking skills aren't what they used to be since I stopped living the bachelor's life. Fong is a much better cook than I am."

"But you have me around." Abbot Nam Ho chuckled. "I'm a great cook."

The brothers' relationship had gotten a lot better since Kim had last seen them. But then of course, they had been on opposing sides. After lunch, the brothers disappeared upstairs to pack and Kim ended up wandering into the room to watch them. When they were done packing, Cheung looked up at Kim and smiled tentatively.

An alarm rang in Kim's head at the look Cheung was directing at her. 'Uh-oh.'

"Kim--"

"Stop, Cheung." Kim pleaded. "Don't."

Vince's smile immediately turned into a grimace. Nam Ho didn't say anything and just watched the two.

"I'll drive you two to the airport--"

"Damnit, Kim!" Cheung stood up and threw his bag across the room. In his anger, he started speaking Chinese. "Why can't you just listen? We need you! I thought we were friends!"  
"We are friends, Cheung." Kim said soberly, both of them aware of the fact that people had come to the door when they had heard the commotion. "But I can't do this for you. I..."

"You loved her." Vince said matter-of-factly. But it sounded so much like an accusation to Kim, who cringed a little at this simple truth that she had tried to keep hidden from everyone since she got back. "I'm right, aren't I? Its because of that. That's why you can't come back. And that's why you looked like such a mess when we came looking for you."

"Stop it, Vince--"

"No, I won't." Cheung looked eagerly at Kim, desperately at the red-headed heroine. "If you love her--"

"Don't." The warning tone was sharp, her eyes showed pain and anger. "Vince. Since you're my friend, I have to tell you you just crossed a line. Don't... don't use her."

"Okay," Mr. Dr. Possible cleared his throat, reminding the three that they had an audience. "That's quite enough. I don't know what you're fighting about, but it stops now."

Cheung looked from the group huddled at the door and then back to Kim. Making a sound of frustration, he spread out his arms in a beseeching gesture.

"Kim--"

"Cheung, stop." Nam Ho placed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder, interrupting him. "Kim's made a final decision. We will respect it."

Kim nodded, adamant. Her mask slipped, she could feel tears burning her eyes, threatening to fall. "Don't ask me to do this, Cheung. Its so hard."

"Kim, someone stole her body!" Vince screamed. Tears flowed from his eyes and he wiped them away angrily, but couldn't help it as a sob, then another escaped his throat.

The whole world seemed to tilt and there was the sound of the wind screaming in her ears. It wasn't until Ron's hands had reached out to steady her that she realized that her legs had given out underneath her. Her mouth felt parched and the same feeling of... non-reality, that same feeling she felt when Shego had died took over. Everything seemed hazy and unreal, sound entered her ears filtered and diluted, like she was underwater.

"Kimmie-cub!" Mr. Dr. Possible's frantic face filled her vision, bringing her back to the here and now. His cold hand on her forehead shocked her back to life.

"What?" Kim asked. She looked at Nam Ho, desperate to have heard wrong. "Nam Ho, is this true?"

The Abbot nodded, regretful that the truth had come out. "I didn't think it was a good idea to come here and bother you with this..."

"Not tell me?" Kim asked incredulously. "I have a right to know!" Something suddenly occurred to her and she looked at the two men with mounting anger. "How long ago did this happen?"

Nam Ho coughed, trying to cover up his discomfort, shifted a bit on the spot, unable to look the redhead in the eye.

"A week after you left, Kim." Cheung's voice was choked up with tears. "Almost five months."

"Since I... I..." Kim stopped, unable to find the words as she stumbled a bit again, her vision whitening at the edges. She felt like she was going to barf up her huge lunch.

"Girl, don't you scare me." Monique was in front of her now, slapping her lightly. "Concentrate on me, Kim. Good, good. God, what is going on? Can someone speak English here, please!"

"Translation:" Kim straightened up, the murderous look in her eyes stunned Monique a bit. "Team Possible's going back to She Cun. We're going back to China."

* * *

endnote: Well, sorry that took so long. But better slow than never, right? Lets hope my muse inspires me this year and I churn out more of these for all you readers! Complaints, comments, etc... are so welcome and keep me going :D


	3. Five Months Later

Five Months Later

Kim Possible fanfiction

immo - rated not for kids

author's note: Thank you so much for everyone's kind reviews. Again, I don't like naming names, you all know who you are when you look at the reviews. All of you roooooock hardcore to the max! Thank you for the people at KPslash haven who recommended that I should use different quotations for Chinese. I've thought about it and decided to implement the idea. _Chinese _will be in _Italics_. Peace out!

* * *

"Let someone else deal with it." Mrs. Dr. Possible pleaded. "You just got home."

"I'm not home!" Kim shouted unable to keep her anger in, immediately regretting her outburst afterwards. "I can't stay here, mom."

"Why not?" Mrs. Dr. Possible asked tearfully. "What's wrong, honey? We can help you, we're your family."

Outside on the front lawn, Dr. Lipsky had parked his UFO on the driveway and was waiting for Kim to board. He would fly them straight to She Cun. Their guests and all of Team Possible, including Tim and Jim who had rushed home from school when Monique had paged them, were on the craft.

"Not with this." Kim shook her head stubbornly. "I have to find her."

"Why can't you leave this to someone else?" Mrs. Dr. Possible demanded, grabbing a hold of Kim's arm. The look her daughter gave her made her freeze. In her Team gear, Kim looked ready for action. Her hair, short when she had come back, had grown to about chin length. Those soft green eyes were as hard as emeralds.

"Shego's my responsibility." Kim replied softly, remembering a conversation she had long ago with Shego.

'I'm your responsibility.' Shego's voice was clear in her mind.

"From the time I started as Kim Possible, leader of Team Possible, Shego became my responsibility. She was a criminal that I needed to apprehend time and again because nobody else could catch her or hold her for too long." Kim said this with a touch of pride. "When I went missing, she became my... friend. She didn't have the best intentions when she took me, but in the end she let me go and made sure to the best of her ability, that I wouldn't return for her. And I still went back willingly to help her."

This was where Kim's voice hitched. "But I failed to help her. I failed her."

"Honey, some things--"

"-are impossible." Kim finished the sentence for her mother and nodded. "But not this. I should have... It should have been possible. When it counted the most. And now someone--someone s-stole her body. Who would do such a thing?"

Mr. Dr. Possible, seeing how his daughter was hurting, made shushing noises and enveloped her in a hug. "Oh, Kimmie-cub..."

Unable to do anything else, Mrs. Dr. Possible joined in in the hug, deeply troubled by all of this.

"Honey, can you please stay?" Mr. Dr. Possible asked, his voice muffled. "Please? This one time, can you just not go?"

Kim shook her head, pushing away from her parents. She had to do this.

"I'm going, mom... dad. With or without your blessings." Kim's mouth was a firm, hard line. Both parents recognized that look, knowing that she wouldn't be swayed and there was no way they could forbid her to go. She's been going out like this ever since she was young, it was too late to put their foot down now.

"Then go and come back quickly." Mrs. Dr. Possible said. Kim's father stayed silent, fear freezing his heart. What if his Kimmie-cub didn't come back this time? But there was nothing he could do as she hugged them one last time and headed to the UFO.

"Take care of your sister!" The patriarch of the Possible family shouted at his boys, his throat tight. The twins gave a thumbs up and smiled reassuringly. Jim and Tim was with Kim... but how come the doctors Possible didn't feel any better?

Hopping aboard the aircraft, Kim gave a last wave before giving the order to lift off.

'You couldn't abandon me like that.' Shego's black evil mouth had curved into an evil smirk when she said that. Arrogant with that tiny but powerful bit of truth.

'I couldn't then. I wouldn't now.' Kim's resolve hardened. 'I'm coming for you, Shego.'

* * *

The ride there was extremely uncomfortable. Not because Dr. Lipsky had neglected in the 'comfort' aspect of his craft, no. There was all sorts of aesthetically pleasing items on board, various modern comforts. Reclining leather chairs. A big screen high-definition TV mounted on the wall in the passenger area. Pillows and blankets. Champagne.

"This is your captain speaking," Dr. Lipsky's voice came over the intercom. "We're, um. Doing well. Please feel free to try the champagne, self-serve of course. And you could talk to each other. I find that conversation passes the time--"

"--this is your co-captain speaking." Jim had managed to take over the intercom. "We'll be there soon."

The intercom went dead. Ron glanced around the cabin, noticing Kim sitting on one side of craft, arms folded. A black cloud seemed to hang over her head. Their guests sat on the opposite side. Nam Ho the Buddhist Abbot sat calmly, eyes closed, beads in hand and lips moving in recitation of a silent prayer. Vince also known as Cheung, glanced over at Kim from time to time, anger and guilt alternatively flitting across his features. The cabin was dead quiet.

"Just leave it, Ron." Monique advised when Ron's eyes had alighted on Kim and raised a bit from his seat. "Kim nearly bit off that guy Vince's head when he tried to explain himself."

The blonde man nodded, sitting back down. The cabin was rife with tension. Kim had refused every attempt Vince had made to try and explain himself. Nam Ho had ignored the whole affair and sat away from everyone to pray as soon as he got on the aircraft. Rufus and Tigger were currently playing blackjack. Tim had fallen asleep.

"Be right back." Ron excused himself from Monique. Not liking the atmosphere at all, Ron walked over to Vince and sat near him with a friendly smile.

"Wassup, dude?" Ron tried.

Vince gave him a tired smile and held out his hand. "We met before, but I'm sorry, I think I forgot your name."

"Ron Stoppable." Ron shook Vince's hand. "Its okay. Everyone seems to have that problem."

The intercom crackled, interrupting them. "Excuse me, er, buffoon. Can you bring us some snacks? Some of those chips--oh wait, we have some. Cancel that order."

Ron gave Vince a thin smile. "So don't worry about it."

The young Chinese man chuckled briefly, then looked over at Kim with worry. "You think she'll stay mad at me?"

"Naw, Kim's a forgiving kind of person. Just give her some time." Ron paused. "But honestly, I've never seen her this angry before. Except that time when Shego died."

The light atmosphere Ron had encouraged suddenly died. The very air itself seemed to have gotten heavier.

"Yeah." Vince nodded sadly. "It was our fault."

"It wasn't." Ron said quickly. "I mean, who can really control a giant snake?"

Vince nodded, not looking like he believed Ron. The blonde tried quickly to change the subject.

"That Shego, she was a firecracker, wasn't she?"

Vince's face became pained.

"Um." Ron felt incredibly awkward. "Maybe... maybe I should go."

"She... was. She was a great person. Sorry," Vince apologized weakly. "I'm just... suddenly I don't feel so well. Excuse me."

Vince got up and went to the washroom, his red eyes telling Ron that Vince was close to tears.

"Good job." Monique said dryly and gave Ron a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, we'll be there soon."

Tim woke up suddenly, almost falling from his seat. Seeing Ron and Monique, he smiled and pressed the pads of his hands against his eyes, trying to rub the sleep out of them.

"Whew!" The twin flashed a toothy grin. "Are we there yet? What'd I miss?"

* * *

_"Almost five months."_ Kim had arrived in She Cun and was hustled quickly into the village meeting place, a small house at the edge of the village. Refreshments were at hand, but it seemed like nobody had the appetite. The tiny house was already filled to bursting, with the elders plus a handful of others including Team Possible. _"FIVE months. And you didn't think to contact me? Send me a letter? A phone call?"_

Lo po-po looked like she had aged greatly since the last time Kim had seen her, a few more lines on her face. Not lines of laughter though, but of daily stress and the hardness of life beating down on her old frame. She and the rest of the elders listened to her quietly, not saying anything, allowing the redhead to rant at them in Chinese.

"When our communications are back up again," Jim whispered to his brother, "We need Wade to hook us up with some kinda translators. ASAP."

_"We're sorry, Kim." _Lo po-po sighed, glancing over at Michelle. _"But things have been... busy here."_

_"FIVE MONTHS!" _Kim hollered, reacting to that weak excuse with fury. _"Someone TOOK her body!"_

_"We didn't want to call you back after you had left."_ Grandpa Cho explained. _"And this is something that is beyond your understanding--"_

_"I understand just fine!"_

_"Please."_ Grandma Lo held up a hand, eyes hard. _"Kim, please calm down. We didn't want to keep this information from you. You were gone. We thought we would be able to find her body without your help since this is our neck of the woods. And the monks were helping us."_

_"I was one of the ones who agreed on not calling you back, Kim."_ Nam Ho apologized. _"You had just left. We were certain we would be able to find her--"_

_"But you couldn't find her, could you?"_ Kim said bitterly.

_"No."_ Lo po-po sighed, glancing around at everyone present. _"We have been having problems with the villages surrounding us. The ones that give us tribute. We're responsible for their welfare. In these parts... well, anything can happen. And recently, things have been happening that should not have been happening. When you came into the village, did you realize that there was not that many of us left here?"_

Kim paused, suddenly realizing this. Actually, the people in the room seemed were the only ones she'd seen so far in the village. Everybody else was gone.

_"We've sent families out to these villages and the problems have ceased, slightly. Plus the monks, they have been a great help. These... creatures dance on that line Xaio Qing has set, and some even arrogantly step over that line. But not when a descendant of She Cun is actually around."_

_"What do you mean?"_ The redheaded heroine asked.

_"For Xaio Qing's continued benevolence and protection, she asks that the villages pay tribute to her through She Cun." _Lo po-po explained. _"We receive offerings of food, clothing, services. Everything is provided for us. But recently, the... otherfolk surrounding this area have been alarmingly disrespectful and haven't stuck with the law Xaio Qing had set down."_

_"Where is,"_ Kim swallowed the bitterness in her throat. _"Where's Xaio Qing? And Bai Su Zhen?"_

There was a moment of unrest as the residents of the village all muttered amongst themselves worriedly.

_"They're gone?" _Kim gathered.

_"I went to look for her." _Cheung told Kim. _"Her place was empty. There was someone there who told me both Xaio Qing and Bai Su Zhen had left, though."_

_"Someone?"_ Kim perked up. _"Who?"_

_"Hu Li Jing Tai Tai."_ Cheung revealed, letting out a breath._ "She's... something."_

Michelle had been standing beside Cheung the whole time gave him a dirty look and kicked him in the shin. Cheung made an exaggerated show of pain, causing the baby boy in Michelle's arms to gurgle and laugh happily. Little David waved his chubby limbs happily, then clutched onto his mother again. There was light laughter, which quickly died away to its sombre atmosphere again.

"Hu Li Jing Tai Tai..." Kim turned to her team. "Mrs. Fox."

"Mrs. Fox?" Monique seemed a bit confused. "Like, what time is it Mrs. Fox?"

"That's Mr. Fox." Ron whispered.

"Wrong on both counts," Kim smiled without humour. "Do you remember the really pretty woman the last..." Kim faltered a bit, "...the last time we were here on the mountain?"

Everybody who had been there at the time suddenly got a dreamy look on their faces.

"She was sooooo pretty." Dr. Lipsky sighed. "Her hair was like silk..."

"Sooooo pretty." Tim and Jim sighed in agreement.

"She had the--"

"--prettiest eyes..."

"Girl had the nicest skin and the cutest ass..." Monique added. Everyone paused at that. Monique blinked and shook her head a bit while the residents of She Cun that understood English laughed.

"Mrs. Fox and all of her children have this affect on... well, everyone." Michelle's words did nothing to quell the redness in Monique's cheeks. "Mrs. Fox is that young woman's mother."

"MILF." Dr. Lipsky, Ron, Tim and Jim said immediately. Monique slapped Jim's arm, still blushing.

Kim switched back to Chinese, her mood not at all improved._ "So what have you done to find Shego? All I've heard is how you've been helping everyone. And I realize that bad things are happening and She Cun is trying to help and that's really admirable but right now, all I care about is finding Shego's body."_

_"Its not like we haven't been trying."_ Another one of the elders snapped back, temper already frayed. _"We've told the surrounding villages, the monks, everybody--"_

_"Everybody but me!"_ Kim screamed. Little David started crying, unused to the loud noises. Michelle bounced David, trying to calm the baby down. Kim took a few deep breaths, to calm herself. The entire house was quiet. Kim tried to smile, but failed miserably. "I'm sorry, Michelle."

"That's alright." Michelle nodded, understanding. David had stopped crying almost immediately and was looking around in curiosity, having forgotten entirely what he was crying about before. The sleeve of his shirt caught his attention and he waved his arms, eyes wide in amazement. Green!

"Cheung, take him." Michelle handed the baby to Vince, then grabbed Kim's hand and left the house. Nobody followed them, except for Tigger, probably sent by Jim to keep an eye on his sister. They walked in silence, Kim's breath ragged with emotion, Michelle not saying a word.

They walked through the winding pathways of the village, until they had left the village and were at the side of the village where a river ran lazily by. This was where the villagers did their laundry, further up, where they got their water when there hadn't been rain for a while and their well wasn't used. Michelle remembered a time, that didn't seem long ago, when Shego had knelt down in front of her and brushed aside a stray strand of hair from her face that had gotten loose from Michelle's usually tidy bun. The two women looked into the river and Kim willed her anger to flow away, knowing that she needed a clear head.

"We all miss her."

"Why didn't you contact me?" Kim rounded on Michelle, not angry anymore. Just sad and defeated. "You, of all people, must know how I feel. How would you feel if this happened? If the person you loved, they died... and somebody stole their body? And nobody told you?"

A fresh onslaught of tears came over Kim. These past few months she had cried so much, she was always so surprised when she found that she still had more left inside of her to empty out.

"We didn't want to involve you because this whole thing's become more than just about a missing body." The emotionless mask Michelle kept on her face at all times slipped a bit. "I... I was one of the people who didn't want to tell you and I told them not to tell you. I was one of the main people. A lot of people wanted to drag you back at once. But I didn't want you here and I made Lo po-po convince the council that it was better that you weren't there."

"What?" Kim was stunned. "Why?"

"Because that's what Shego would've wanted." Michelle raised her chin a little bit, as if daring Kim to get angry at her, to challenge her decision. "She wanted you to leave here. She would've wanted you to move on."

Kim was momentarily speechless. "What?"

"I'm married to someone who loves me more than I love him." Michelle smiled bitterly. "I love him, don't get me wrong. I love him and I don't regret marrying him or having David. I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world, maybe not even... but I loved Shego so much. So much, Kim, do you know how much?"

Kim was mute.

"So much that I was able to marry someone else when she told me to. So much that I was HAPPY for her when I found out you two were together. And happy that she was alive, somewhere close by. And I knew, inside her black heart, I knew there would always be a little bit of me inside there. She loved me. When Shego was alive, she loved a lot of people, but you and I were lucky and she cared about us more than, more than..." Michelle sobbed, cried like her heart was breaking all over again. "She c-cared about us enough to die for us. To s-send us away. I understand n-now why she didn't w-want me with her. W-Why she pushed me away. Do you see she told us t-to leave? But...but you came back."

"I can't forget her, ah Fong." Kim said in a tiny voice, sounding very much like a lost child. "I just... I can't."

Michelle shook her head. "Its Shego's fault. All of this. Stupid, selfish Shego. All of this is her fault. When you r-really think about this, its all her fault. But I-I can't blame her. And you're not to blame. A-And I have to, have to keep telling myself that--that I'm not to blame either."

Tigger whined, watching the two women and unable to do anything. They stood next to each other, crying.

"Who would do this?" Kim asked no-one in particular, bewildered and hurt. "Who would take her body?"

Michelle took out a hankerchief and wiped her face, trying to compose herself. "W-We have our suspicions. The monks also came to investigate. And they said that any number of things could have taken her. Because her body--" Michelle covered her mouth with the back of her hand as if this simple gesture could stop the grief, her voice getting high and squeaky from trying not to cry. "--her body holds a lot of power. So... its valuable. But we think... it might be Xaio Qing."

"Xaio Qing." Again, that name. Kim felt so much regret, regret that she hadn't killed Xaio Qing. The idea of killing had never appealed to her. Taking another life seemed so horrific, so needless. Kim couldn't imagine herself ever doing it. But right now at this moment, Kim knew that it would have been the right thing to do. She should've done it when she had the opportunity.

"We can't find her. But things have escalated and we think all of this--Xaio Qing, Bai Su Zhen and Shego's missing body--is connected. Maybe you've heard, but things have been happening in the outside world that only happens in She Cun." Michelle's tears had stopped and she was all business. The Ice Queen again.

"What things?" Kim was confused and now was slightly afraid that her months-long isolation had made her miss something of dire importance. The troubled look on Michelle's face made the redhead repeat herself. "Ah Fong, please. What things?"

"Haven't you noticed that this place is a haven for the 'mythical'?" Michelle said this with a special emphasis on 'mythical'. "But you don't see this in the outside world. Xaio Qing created a sanctuary here, she was so powerful that she was able to create a bubble around this place and protect it and keep it from outside influences. Her bubble stretches out over several VALLEYS and MOUNTAINS. The nature of the spell protected everything within its borders. Even the demons and the spirits that live here. And they flourished here. When they're outside, they don't. Do you know why?"

Michelle led them away from the river as they talked, back into the labyrinthine village of She Cun. That physical seperation from the houses of She Cun had done Kim some good, she felt a lot more composed and a lot less angry.

"We got the answers from the monk. In the outside world, the very atmosphere itself discourages any sort of magical growth. In here, because of Xaio Qing's protective bubble, it protects these creatures greatly. Those who stay outside of one of these 'bubbles', unless they're extremely powerful, are prone to being destroyed."

"Destroyed?"

"They die if they don't find one of these bubbles to enter and rest in. This protection is sort of like taking a gulp of air and then swimming underwater. After a while, you have to come up for air or you die." Michelle navigated the alleys of the village expertly, Kim also found that even after being gone, she still knew the village so well. Everything was so familiar. "But now, the atmosphere outside has changed. Its a lot more welcoming. So things happen. And recently in India--well. We'll get to that later. There's a huge chance that all of this involves the disappearance of Shego's body."

They stopped in front of a familiar house, Kim had been so focused on what Michelle had been saying that she hadn't seen that Michelle had lead them straight to Shego's house. The doors were wide open, as if welcoming them in.

Michelle stepped inside with Tigger quickly following. "Come on."

"No. I can't." Kim shook her head. Lips pressed together to prevent herself from bawling. "I can't, ah Fong, I-I-"

"You have to." There was steel in Michelle's voice. "Come on. This is your house now. You and your friends will stay here tonight."

"Any place else--"

"This is your place." Michelle said through clenched teeth, trying to show a strong front. "You have to, Kim. I know what you're going through. Trust me, I understand so well. She's gone, she's dead. But the dead would want the living to continue living."

Michelle gently tugged Kim through the doors. An altar had been set up, a black lacquered plaque sitting on the table with Shego's name on it and a bunch of Chinese characters written underneath her name. Red candles sat on either side of the plaque, plus offerings of fruit and food. Three tiny red cups with a little bit of rice wine still in them were lined up in front of the plaque. There were also three pairs of chopsticks. Flowers were placed in vases in front of the altar. A tiny brass pot sat directly in front of the plaque and Kim could see that this was where people put sticks of incense.

"Hey Shego," Michelle spoke to the plaque casually, as if Shego was really there. "Look who came to visit, finally."

Michelle stooped down to grab a container full of incense and took out three, handing them to Kim. She took out matches and lit them while Kim seemed like she was frozen to the spot.

"Go ahead." Michelle nudged Kim. Having seen this kind of worship a few times, Kim hesitantly bowed three times. She felt like she was going to cry again. But the redhead held it in, aware of that black plaque sitting in front of her. The only physical representation of Shego left in the world that they had.

"I'm doing okay." Kim said to the altar, finding that she was comforted a bit, doing this, talking as if Shego was right there listening to her. So she continued. "I'm doing okay, Shego, so don't worry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the time I wasted when I could have been alert. I'm sorry I ran away. And I promise, I promise that I'll get your body back and lay you to rest."

Kim placed the incense in the pot and directed a soft smile at the plaque, feeling like Shego--wherever she was, was watching her very critically right now. Judging her. That superior smirk on her lips and an eyebrow cocked up in a questioning manner.

"I'll find you, Shego. I haven't forgotten: you're my responsibility."

* * *

endnote: Sorry its so short. I'm trying! Comments, reviews, criticism, etc... are all really welcome. Really. Like I said during 'a few new tricks', they keep me going! :D


	4. Meeting New People

Meeting New People

Kim Possible fanfiction

immo - rated not for kids

author's note: Still trying to get around the Chinese... gr.... I hate FF net's formatting... And because you asked for it, here it is! Good thing some of you reminded me too, I sorta forgot about writing for a while hahaha... hahah.. ha... I'm an idiot.

* * *

Looking up at the steps, Monique and Ron groaned. It was a long way up.

"Can't we take the car?" Monique asked hopefully. They had left it a ways back, but it was easy enough to turn around and get it. And the African-American woman was pretty sure that the all-terrain vehicle could ascend these stairs with its passengers easily.

"We're walking." Kim said, not really paying attention to her friends. Vince had driven them towards Er Mei, but had stopped the car when the woods had thickened considerably. A short trek later, they were at the base of the stairs that led to the dwelling place of She Cun and Er Mei's mistress. Lying at the side of the stairs were the weights Kim had used to train with. She bent down and lifted them up, curling her arms and testing herself. She had become weak. These almost seemed heavy. She remembered when, after months of training, they felt light to her.

"I'm going to go on ahead." Kim shouldered those weights and gave Ron and Monique an amused smile. "Why are you looking at me like that for?"

"Why do you have those on?" Ron pointed out the stone weights.

"I used these for training when I was here." Kim explained, stretching out her muscles quickly. "I'm out of shape, so no time like now to get in shape again, right? Meet you guys at the top!"

With that, she grabbed a bottle of water Vince handed to her and was off, ignoring Ron and Monique's calls for her to come back. When she had disappeared above them, Ron and Monique looked at each other in frustration and sighed.

"She seems very energetic." Vince chuckled. The Chinese man produced several more bottles of water from his backpack. "Here," He passed it to the two Team Possible members. "You'll need this if you want to make it all the way up alive."

"She's better than when she had been back at home." Ron started a conversation as they made their way up the stairs. "But it feels like she's still avoiding us..."

"Kim seems fine." Vince said, a little bit surprised. "She's avoiding people?"

"When you were at her house," Monique gave her input, "It was the first time in... a good four-five months that we'd seen Kim. Really, its been a good long time since she'd stepped foot into her own house. She went all hermit on us."

"I didn't know that." Vince was troubled. "I thought she was coping with Shego's death."

"If coping meant isolating herself from her friends and family and barely eating, then, yes. She was coping real well." Ron's sarcasm was not missed.

"Chang, were they tight?" Monique asked, with just a tiny bit of jealousy. She was Kim's best girl friend. If someone had taken her spot, she wanted to know!

"Call me Vince, its easier. Only people that live around these parts call me by my Chinese name. You don't have to." Vince smiled at Monique's mistake. "And yeah, I think they were pretty tight. Course, they had their differences a lot. One time they were fighting about something and I got caught in the crossfire. Kicked in the eye and everything. Course, I was also driving at the time and looking back, I'm glad the only thing that was seriously damaged was the car..."

"Those two can get kinda intense." Ron patted Vince on the back sympathetically. Rufus, perched on Ron's shoulder, nodded in agreement.

Vince uncapped his bottle and took a swig, already feeling a light sweat beginning on his back. He wasn't out of shape, but at the most, he only ran up these steps once every week or so! But looking at his companions, he knew that he would be required to make an earlier break than usual. Maybe a quarter of the way up they'd have to stop...

"Dang! That girl did training on these steps?" Monique huffed. "I think I might... throw up my lung if I was carrying all that stuff she had!"

"She did it almost everyday, apparently." Vince explained how Kim had told his wife a little bit about the training regiment that was imposed on her while living with Shego, to the awe and horror of Ron and Monique.

"That ain't humane!" Monique blurted out.

Ron shook her head. "Maybe for us. But not for Kim."

They rested frequently. So it wasn't all that surprising that Kim reached the Green Snake's abode alone. Reaching the top, she let the weights drop to the ground and looked around.

It seemed like nothing had changed.

The grand wooden complex that had been her home for years was exactly the way it was before the last fight, before Xaio Qing had destroyed it. It looked deceptively peaceful. And inside, Kim knew it would probably be the same. The twsiting walkways. The garden. The placement of the rooms. The smell of woodsmoke and food when you wandered close to the kitchen...

The redhead placed a hand over her heart, just so she could feel it pounding in her chest. A familiar, steady rhythym. Everything was the same, except for one very minor, but very important detail. But it felt like, even though Kim knew... she knew. But it felt like if she walked closer, the door would open and Shego would be standing there, smirking at her from the doorway and waiting for her to come in.

So she didn't move. And just stood there desperately imagining Shego busying herself inside the sprawling building. Feeding the carps. Fixing dinner. Reading. Sleeping. Laughing. Anything at all...

"Yo."

Kim Possible jumped a bit, startled. Her friends had reached the top. And she had spent so long just standing there in a stupor that the sweat that had dotted her brow had dried.

"You okay?" Vince asked, worriedly. After the walk up and a long talk with Kim's friends, he was a bit concerned for her. So she wasn't alright.

"I'm alright." Kim smiled vacantly.

_"You didn't tell them about you and Shego."_ Vince said in Chinese, eyes stern. This was something he had learned on the way up. He had managed to gracefully side-step the subject when Ron and Monique had acted confused when Vince had offhandedly mentioned Kim and Shego being together._ "They don't know why you're so upset, Kim. Maybe you should tell them. I mean, everyone sort of knows already."_

_"Nobody really knows anything." _Kim replied stonily.

"What are you two talking about?" Monique and Ron had been standing silent for a while and now asked for an explanation. Their question was ignored, in light of the heated argument the Chinese man was having with the leader of Team Possible.

"Kim." Vince was so frustrated by the redhead's behaviour. She was being unbelievably unreasonable! "Your friends care about you, they're really worried about you. I'm worried about you. And I think if Shego were here, she'd tell you--"

"If Shego were here, none of this would be happening." Kim interrupted. A hollow expression on her face. Before the argument could go on, a voice interrupted them.

"Good afternoon?"

All turned towards the house and on spotting the creature standing there, could feel their insides turn to molten liquid.

The absolutely most perfect being that they had ever seen stood there, framed by the doorway of the house. Her smile was teasing, yet shy. Robes of red silk encased her body making her skin seem whiter than it really was, making her glow like a flame. And the four humans that stood there gaping at her, well.. they were the moths.

"Hu Li Jing Tai Tai." Kim was first to break free from the rapturous gaze, perspiring a little from the effort.

'Wow.' Kim felt a little bit breathless, feeling like she had just jumped out of a plane. She ruthlessly tamped down those feelings that she knew the fox spirit was making her feel. Forced herself to look the fox in the eyes and feel nothing. The hu li jing's eyes widened a bit in surprise, the only indication that she knew that her effect on Kim was minimal, at best.

"Welcome." Hu Li Jing Tai Tai tittered, her laughter causing everyone around Kim to sigh blissfully. The redhead quickly reacted to this, punching each of her friends on the arm.

"Ow! Girl, that hurt!" Monique was the first to react. Vince, realizing what had happened, cast a grateful look towards Kim, the fight before forgotten. Ron, however, did not react at all. He still had a dopey smile on his face. It wasn't until Rufus bit him that Ron woke up.

"Ow!" Ron yelped, the glazed look he had had on his face vanishing completely. "Rufus, what's wrong with you, buddy?"

"No fun at all." Mrs. Fox pouted, immediately ensnaring Ron and Monique back under her spell. Vince kept his head down, trying his best to avoid the fox spirit's gaze.

_"Madam, please." _Vince's voice was strained from the effort of fighting the fox's spell. _"No games. We come here on a serious note."_

"I can see that," Madam Fox nodded, replying to Vince's Chinese with English. She studied the new arrivals briefly. The girl with the deliciously dark skin who was openly admiring her would probably be a delicious treat... the blonde, awkward-looking boy seemed to radiate a hidden power which she wanted to investigate... and the redhead. The redhead was special. Very special.

"You must be Kim Possible." With another nod of her head, Monique and Ron stumbled a bit as the fox dropped her enchantments. "My daughter's spoken of you."

"All good things, I hope?" Kim Possible smiled thinly, remembering the beautiful fox spirit quite well. She could see how these two were related. Yinchun looked very much like her mother; same teasing, pouting mouth. Same beautiful face. They could be mistaken for sisters, really.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Yinchun's mother suddenly exclaimed, as if remembering something. She stepped to the side and gestured to her guests. "Please, come in!"

"Watch your step, guys." Kim cleared the high threshold easily, feeling the familiarity of the motion. When she had gone back to Middleton, it had taken her a while to get out of the habit of thinking that she had to cross a high threshold at every doorway.

"This way, my dears. You must be hungry!" Hu Li Jing Tai Tai led the way, and Kim and company followed. There was music. And as they cleared the first building and walked into the garden, Kim could see that in the pavilion where she used to have guzheng lessons with Xaio Qing, a group of maidens were playing musical instruments. Their orange clothing fluttered in the wind, like a fish's fins in the water...

'Fish-people.' Kim realized quickly. So replacements for the inhabitants of the tiny stream that had gotten caught in the crossfires of the final fight had been brought in.

A feast had been laid out for them and at the sight of all the food, everyone remembered the trek up the mountain. The food looked mouth-wateringly good right after that exercise. And even though Kim wanted the answers to her questions right away, she couldn't resist and had joined the rest of her friends in an eating competition.

"Please," Hu Li Jing Tai Tai looked pleased when they fell on the food like a pack of wild dogs. "Help yourselves."

There were tiny delectable dumplings on slices of carrots and it was amazing how, when they tasted it and bit through the skin, hot delicious soup would gush out. There were lobsters, fiery red, stir-fried with ginger and onions and cooking wine. A huge swan made of candied fruits sat in the middle of the table, glazed and honeyed, looking almost vulgar in its cavity-inducing sweetness. There was also huge pig in the middle, its skin roasted until it was crispy, but inside, the meat was still juicy. There was such a spread, it was impossible to identify them all and everyone just satisfied themselves with eating as much as they can. It was like they were possessed. Everyone tried to eat and drink as much as they can, until they couldn't possibly stuff another piece of food into their mouths. Even Rufus had gorged himself. After dessert, since everyone was sitting on the floors anyways, they did one better and lay back.

"Oh... MAN." Ron groaned, rubbing his protruding stomach. He had *never* eaten so much in his life! And that included that time Buenos Nachos had that nacho eating contest...

"Ditto." Monique moaned from her position on the floor. Drowsiness was hitting everyone.

"That... was delicious." Vince let out a huge burp, followed quickly by an, "excuse me."

"Ungh..." Kim sat up with a grunt, pinning Mrs. Fox with her eyes. "We came here... to talk."

Hu Li Jing Tai Tai gave a laugh. "I should've expected you to be so... focused."

"Its important." Kim fought the effects of sleep. Her friends had already given up that fight against the call to rest though and the redhead could hear Rufus snoring loudly on Ron's stomach. "I have questions to ask you."

Mrs. Fox's eyes lit up with delight. "You *are* quite special, aren't you? I mean, after my food, you should be sleeping it off. Just like your friends are doing."

The beautiful woman swaggered over and before Kim knew it, was within as inch of Kim's face.

"I think I definitely will enjoy having you as a guest here." Mrs. Fox stroked back Kim's bangs, then placed a soft kiss on Kim's forehead. The heroine's whole body tingled at the contact. She let out an involuntary gasp that quickly turned into a groan when the fox combed her fingers through Kim's hair, held her head possessively and leaned down to snuffle lightly against the side of Kim's neck.

"We'll have plenty of time to play..." Hu Li Jing Tai Tai purred into Kim's ear. "But right now... go to sleep. Its been a long day."

Unable to resist the food nor Mrs. Fox's effect on her, Kim felt her eyes droop shut.

* * *

"We're accomplishing more by splitting up." Tim tried to explain to Jim again. Jim just shot his brother a dirty look before continuing on in silence. Team Possible had decided that splitting up helped them cover more ground than if they were a single unit. So Tim, Jim, Dr. Lipsky, Tigger and the abbot had decided to go to a neighboring village where a monk had told them they were needed.

"But what about Monique and Kim--"

"They're gonna be alright." Tim laughed. "Come on. Kim? Ron? Not to mention, Monique?"

"That Monique can sure deliver a punch!" Dr. Lipsky agreed without looking at them, as he was piloting his UFO and it was imperative that he kept his eyes on the road! ...or sky, if you would like. And both hands on the wheel, of course.

"Yeah..." Jim brooded. "But remember what happened last time? Our asses got handed to us."

"The snake people aren't there. And Vince said it was alright." Tim quickly pointed out, but what his brother said had struck a nerve. Now Tim wore an identical frown.

"They'll be alright." Nam Ho said distractedly, then urged Dr. Drakken to speed up. Though his words were no comfort, they were enough to draw attention onto the abbot who had been acting really strangely after he had announced that they were going to another village. Strange, meaning excited. They had never seen the abbot get excited before. He was always sort of calm and detached. Cool in the face of danger.

Jim and Tim traded a look before they started speaking, their voices in sync with one another's. "Why are we in such a hurry?"

Nam Ho was startled out of his thoughts and gave the boys a weak smile. Tigger, who had been sitting nearby, looked up at his master questioningly.

"Have you heard our history?" Nam Ho asked.

"A little bit." Jim and Tim replied.

"What history?" Dr. Lipsky asked.

"Well, its a long story--"

"We'll brief him later." Jim interrupted Nam Ho. "But what does us going to this other village--"

"--have to do with Vince's village?"

"Well, it has more to do with Fa Hai." Nam Ho corrected. "The founder of our temple?"

"Yeah..."

"What founder?" Dr. Lipsky asked. Tim turned to the blue doctor to give him a brief summary as Jim urged Nam Ho to continue.

"Well," The abbot sighed, scratching a spot on his nose. "When Fa Hai was still alive, he raised Bai Su Zhen's son as his own. He lived out here by himself, but people searched for him, of course. He was a powerful master who could exorcise demons, students flocked to wherever he was to learn from him. When he died, though, his followers split up into two groups. One, which I am part of, resides in the temple where Fa Hai lived. The other lives much further away, just right outside of Xaio Qing's influence."

"Alright." Jim nodded, showing that he understood. "Why did you seperate?"

"Well, it was just a different set of beliefs we adhered to." Abbot Nam Ho sighed as if he was very tired. "Like... Like the Christians and the Muslims, I think. Came from the same beginnings, but different."

"Oh." Tim was back in the conversation having helped Dr. Lipsky catch up.

"We," The abbot pressed a hand on his chest so the Possible brothers and Dr. Lipsky would know he was talking about his people, "follow the original philosophy that Fa Hai taught. It's the feelings of compassion and love that defines what a person or a demon is. If they do not have those feelings, even a full human is no better than a beast or a demon. Our training, of course, is in exorcism and containment. But it's basically... we have a judge and an unbiased jury panel for these otherfolk. We also have punishment of course, which includes the 'death penalty'; the complete removal of a creature from the reincarnation cycle, but we don't use it often. The other sect is judge, jury and executioner. And the punishment? Always death. We're both knowledgable in exorcism but the other sect focuses more on completely wiping out a target while we focus on containment and binding spells. They see all the otherfolk as dangerous while humans are the only things worth anything."

"So what does that have to do with now?" Dr. Lipsky asked, trying not to glance back. Eyes on the sky, eyes on the sky...

"This other sect was about to dole out their brand of justice when we showed up. Rescued whom we thought was just a regular run-of-the-miller. But apparently, he might know what's been going on, why all of this is happening. Why the world outside of Xaio Qing's home is suddenly so much more hospitable to these creatures. Even us... we're affected. The powers we have have grown exponentially. We're finally going to get some answers. And maybe we'll find out if Shego's missing body has anything to do with this."

"You okay?" Tim asked, just a bit worried now. On further investigation, Nam Ho didn't seem to be doing so well. He was sweating lightly and was shaking a little bit. Like a junkie.

"I'm... I'm fine." Nam Ho managed a shakey smile. "Its just that... with power comes... adjustment. I just have to... control it. Excuse me."

Nam Ho got up and walked back to the passenger cabin unsteadily.

Dr. Lipsky glanced away for just a second to look after Nam Ho. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He better be." Jim muttered. "We got enough to worry about."

The rest of the way to their destination was uneventful. And when they landed, several monks were already waiting patiently to escort them to their guest. The difference between this village and She Cun was subtle, but noticeable. Everybody basically looked the same, but instead of the peaceful, ideal rural life that She Cun presented, everybody seemed to be... thinner. And a lot more scared of the strangers. In fact, it seemed as if everyone was carrying some kind of weapon. It might just be a simple stick, but Team Possible could see they held it with an intent.

_"This way,"_ The monks hurried them a bit, excitement clear in their eager features. What would their master do now? Their... guest... was demanding answers and freedom. _"The hunter clan is being held back, but we've told everyone to be on the alert."_

_"Have they been open to having a discussion?"_ Nam Ho and the monk conversed quietly while they half-jogged, half-power walked to their goal.

_"Yes. But they want our guest first."_

_ "That's unacceptable."_

_ "We said we would wait for your decision."_

_ "That's good."_

_"In there."_ The monk motioned, afraid to enter. There were monks posted on every corner of the building, eyes closed and muttering endless mantras, not even opening an eyelid to look at the abbot and his guests. _"He's angry."_

_"What is he?"_ The abbot raised an eyebrow as he heard snatches of a high-level containment spell from a nearby monk. And with his training, he could see that the containment spell was under heavy strain from their captive.

_"We've tried to compel him to say, but he's strong. Too strong. We... we're not sure--"_

_ "Come in and ask me." _A voice boomed out. The door was flung open by unseen hands. _"Come in and lets get this over with."_

Abbot Nam Ho looked at his guests, then squared his shoulders and entered. Team Possible followed close behind with Tigger bringing up the rear. After their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they could see one young Asian man, about Tim and Jim's age, sitting on the only chair in the room, glaring at them. He had wild black hair that came down to his shoulders and the length of it was streaked with grey, as if he had aged prematurely, but besides that his voice and body was still youthful. His face, smooth and hairless, was fine-boned and slim. Looking at him now, even in his tattered and dirty clothes, many would describe him as simply... radiantly noble. He held himself like an aristocrat, like a king, receiving his subjects. And he acknowledged them with a slight tilt of his head. And while they were studying him, they were sure he was thoughtfully assessing them.

"Um." Tim cleared his throat, uncomfortable when the young man's gaze rested on him. "I'm Tim. Its nice to meet you?"

The young man seemed surprised at Tim's greeting. "What did you say?"

"What?" Now everyone was surprised. The young man spoke English without a hint of an accent. And here Team Possible thought they were just going to stand around while the abbot and this... this maybe-spirit/demon argued with the abbot in Chinese.

"Um. I'm Tim Possible." Tim tried one of his smiles that always softened his mother up. "Its nice to meet you."

The young man fell silent. Then he dipped his head in greeting, and maybe it was the dim lighting playing tricks on them, but it seemed as if the young man's expression had softened. "My name is Haoxian. It is nice to meet you, Tim Possible."

"This is my brother, Jim Possible. His dog, Tigger." Tim did the introductions. "Dr. Lipsky, who helps us. And this is Abbot Nam Ho."

_"I am pleased to meet you--"_ Nam Ho started, but was quickly cut off by a wave of the young man's hand.

"I will not talk with you. You have been most inhospitable. You have saved me from possible danger, yes, but this is not much better. I deserve dignity, yet I am treated like a criminal." Haoxian looked at Tim now. "You, however, have been most polite. I will speak with you."

Tim looked over at the abbot for guidance, but the man just shrugged and sighed. Some times, demons and spirits could be so much trouble!

"Well... I guess, I would like to offer our help." Tim waved to the people in the room. "If you're in danger, we'll protect you."

Haoxian seemed to ponder the offer for a little bit. "For no reason at all? You would help me? Would you seek a reward?"

"No." Jim and Tim both answered, shaking their heads.

"Team Possible doesn't work like that." Tim explained. "We help people for free."

"For nothing?"

"Well, before, maybe a ride to our next mission to help." Tim rubbed the back of his neck. "But now, Dr. Lipsky's been providing the rides for us."

"Interesting." The young man stood up now. He was tall. He paced a bit, studying the group in front of him, the beginnings of an amused smile forming on his lips. "Then will you help me?"

"Tim--"

"Sure." Tim shrugged, before the abbot could stop him. The amused smile Haoxian had been wearing widened into a grin.

"Very well, boy. I will tell you my problem. I am looking for my father and I think the clan of hunters that almost had me just a little while ago has the information I seek. They are keeping him locked and hidden somewhere, I need to free him. They probably have the map to my father's prison and the means to free him at their headquarters."

"Someone kidnapped your father?" Dr. Lipsky looked scandalized. "That's--that's--villainous! Why, I would never--"

"You would never what?" Jim raised an eyebrow. The blue doctor had the decency to blush as he remembered a time he had kidnapped Kim and her mother.

"If that's true, we won't be able to get in." The abbot shook his head. "They're heavily fortified. We had a chance to tour their premises one time when they hosted our annual meetings. From what I could tell, their headquarters were built to withstand attack and defend against it."

Haoxian clenched his hands into fists. "I know. I tried and failed."

That word, 'fail', made Tim study this figure a bit more. Underneath all that posturing, the Possible twin could see the young man was exhausted. Tim would bet Haoxian had tried everything he could to get into the compound, to get the information to save his father. Failure was harsh. Tim knew. Everytime he looked at Kim, he felt like he had failed. They hadn't saved Kim at all. She was still lost somewhere out there.

"We'll try again." Tim said sincerely. He walked over to Haoxian, placing a hand on the other man's shoulder. "We'll do it together."

Haoxian looked at the hand on his shoulder as if it were an alien thing. Then he smiled, his fine features lighting up. Tim had to blink a bit, wondering if it was an illusion or if Haoxian was actually as brilliant and beautiful as he seemed at that moment.

* * *

endnote: comments, suggestions, criticisms are all welcome! :D


	5. Perhaps To Dream

Perhaps To Dream

A Kim Possible Fanfiction

immo

Author's note: I'm not on a roll. :( It's slow going, but it's coming. And in this chapter, yes, you all asked for it: DUN DUN DUN. Read on and find out which character is making an appearance! Oh. And this is rated for mature audience. Kids, you've been warned!

* * *

"This isn't real..." Kim whispered, the back of her hand brushing against Shego's cheek. Soft. So soft. And the warmth radiating from the body told her it was very real.

"You and I both know that this is real." Shego caught her girlfriend's caressing hand, kissing the redhead's fingertips lightly. "As long as you stay here, at Er Mei, this is real. I am real."

Kim brushed her thumb over Shego's full, dark lips and shut her eyes in pain when those lips pulled up into a smile.

"What's wrong?"

"I missed you so much, Shego..." Kim whispered, her arms wrapping around Shego and enveloping her in a rib-cracking hug. The green-skinned woman didn't complain and held her just as tightly, sighing when the redhead's nose found a resting spot at the crook of her neck. "I don't want this to be a dream... Is this a dream? Have I finally gone crazy? You're not really here, are you?"

"This is real." Shego pulled away from Kim and regarded her seriously. "Kiss me."

Kim tilted her head up and obeyed. The kiss was desperate, needy and bitter. The heroine held Shego's face so gently, her hesitant kisses getting bolder as she explored the coutours of Shego's lips with the utmost care.

They were in Kim's room in Er Mei, like before. Entwined in sheets, wrapped up in each other. Forgetful of the company they had in this estate. Not caring. Shego ran her fingers through Kim's hair.

"You're supposed to be dead." Kim again, held Shego's face in her hands, running over this smooth beloved face with dancing fingers. "You can't be here."

"But I am." Shego was impatient now and rolled on top of Kim, a determined look on her face. "Let me show you."

Kim let Shego pull her up and pull at her clothing, wanting to be reassured by the feel of those nimble fingers dancing across her skin. The moon played across their bed as Shego's lips danced, hot across the skin of her exposed stomach.

Shego had come to her that first night Kim found herself an unwilling guest of Mrs. Fox. Draped in a white cloth, Shego had waited at the doorway until Kim had croaked out her name. Since then, Shego came every night to see her.

Kim's fingers grasped Shego's hair, pulling her closer, needing her closer. And Shego complied, content to transform Kim into a blubbering, gasping mass of flesh that only responded to her touch.

"Shego..." Kim whimpered out that name, tears falling out of her eyes. Her heart felt like it was going to burst. She felt like she was going to die as she shuddered and cried out.

"Here." Shego crawled up Kim's body.

"Don't leave me..." panted the redhead.

"Stay here. With me." Shego grasped Kim's hands in her own and kissed them fervently. "Stay here and I'll never leave. Like before. Just the two of us."

Breathless, quivering, Kim nodded her head and gave Shego a tearful smile. "I'll never leave you."

* * *

"Not today." Mrs. Fox sighed, nudging Vince away with her foot. "I'm tired."

The fox enchantress and her followers had decided to move outside to the pavillion. Huge pillows littered the floor so Mrs. Fox could recline comfortably on them. Metamorphosized fish kept them cool by waving a huge fan, while others stood nearby with food and drink. Red closed her eyes and relished the breeze. Recently, she'd been a little bit more tired than usual.

"What's wrong, hun?" Monique brushed back Red's hair soothingly, and Mrs. Fox closed her eyes in appreciation. Having these humans here was quite refreshing. The carp in the pond had started to bore her. She was glad to have these guests.

"Just... thinking." Red sighed. Recently, she'd been thinking about her sister a lot more than usual. Yinchun... the woman that her daughter had been named after. Red reached inside her shirt and drew out a necklace. Monique looked at it curiously. The string was of an orange red colour that reminded Monique of autumn leaves, braided carefully and beautiful in its simplicity. But it was the gem at the end that drew the eye. Dark red, small and irregularly shaped. It seemed to glow with an eager and steady light, pulsing slowly and gently in half-notes.

"What are you thinking about?" Ron asked eagerly. Red just shook her head, giving them a tired smile. She didn't want to talk about it. It had been so long ago and she hadn't thought about her sister in such a long time... why now?

'Because this situation is eerily familiar...' Red thought grimly. It was a long time ago, but she remembered everything quite clearly, as if it had just happened yesterday...

"Love," An image of her sister smiled lazily at her, bright in her mind, undiluted by the aging of time. They were in Yinchun's room. "Love, come here. Time to sleep..."

Red closed her eyes and imagined those first few months with her sister. Even their mother had not treated Red this nice. Red was just one of the many in the large den, and their mother had enough to do. Then, suddenly, everything had been taken away from her. Her mother killed. Her siblings and half-siblings, all slaughtered. from blind babes to their handsome oldest brother. All she had left at that time was Yinchun, the stories their mother had told about her famous older half-sister. So Red had gone to find her. And her elder sister had welcomed her with open arms.

"Did you not sleep well? Come here..." The memory that Mrs. Fox conjured up was that of Yinchun's warm smile as she drew the young Red into her arms kissed her brow gently to chase away the nightmares.

Red sighed, motioned irritably and immediately, Vince, Ron and Monique were at her elbow.

"Tell me about Shego." The request seemed to catch all three off guard. But they complied because she asked of it.

"I didn't know her that well, but the times I did see her, she was always fighting with Kim..." Monique trailed off, as if suddenly remembering something. Her eyes cleared for a second to look at Mrs. Fox. "Where's Kim?"

"She's sleeping." Red said soothingly and Monique's eyes glazed over again, forgetting her friend.

"She's evil and likes to burn my pants." Ron said sullenly. "I mean, seriously, everytime we go up against her, my pants are singed! Pants aren't cheap, ya know?"

"She was my friend." Vince blinked his eyes rapidly, his face sullen despite the glamour Mrs. Fox had over him. Ron quickly fell silent, noticing the other man's melancholy tone. "She was mean and bad-tempered, but she really cared for people."

Mrs. Fox nodded, signalling him to continue as she listened intently.

"Shego and... my wife were lovers at the time." Even though he was under the glamour Red had weaved over them, a look of pain tore across his face. "When I came back with my... daughter... she... Ting Ting was... not my daughter."

Red raised her hand to stop him. Obviously, she was forcing him to explore something painful in his memory. She would not do that to him. Painful memories should be forgotten...

"I need the chores done and maintaining the fish people takes too much energy. Will you three do them for me?"

Ron, Monique and Vince nodded enthusiastically, eager to please.

"Vince, prepare dinner. Ron, fetch wood and water for Vince. Monique, sweep the halls." Orders received, they left quickly to do what they were told. After they left, Red sighed in relief. With a wave of her hand, her carp-attendants vanished back to their stream. It was a strain on her powers to maintain them for so long. Before the humans arrived, she only needed the carp for a short time everyday to keep house. But now she used them more to tend to her humans and add to that the energy it took to keep them docile and unaware...

"Yinchun." Red tried the name on her tongue and looked around expectantly, hopefully. But no laughing face appeared beside her. No familiar, low chuckling. No sister. Red clutched the gem hanging from the red string around her neck. It pulsed quietly, steadily in her hands. The loneliness she had felt just seconds ago vanished as the stone consoled her, seeming to shine brightly for a bit before dulling back to its muted glow.

Red sighed again, flopping back on the comfortable pillows surrounding her. It wasn't so much that the spells drained her. It was more that this whole experience was draining.

_"I love her, you know?" Fear lanced through the young fox spirit, trapped within biting distance of Yinchun. Yinchun looked down at Red, her arms at either side of the young fox's head, preventing escape. Red did her best to steadfastly ignore Yinchun's yellow eyes and instead, kept them fixed on that spot between Yinchun's collarbone and played with the hem of Yinchun's robe. The smell of alcohol was thick on Yinchun's breath. It was another one of these human festivals, another reason for them to celebrate the brief special incidents in their short, miserable lives. The sound of crowds somewhere far away, laughing, floated to them. Then, the faraway booms of the fireworks that lit the black sky with colours and briefly banished the stars. _

_ "I know." Red yipped, allowed to speak in their native tongue when only her elder sibling was around. She looked up into Yinchun's eyes now, noting that they were unfocussed, pained. "I know."_

_ "She's with him right now." Yinchun snarled in the language of foxes. "She's with him now and I'm dying without her..."_

_ Red made soft cooing noises, trying to calm her sister, trying to remember the right thing to do when she was human... how do you comfort someone? The answer escaping her for the moment, she did what she would have done as a fox. Red leaned her head back and gently starting licking small kisses all along Yinchun's jaw. Yinchun's sorrow was like... noise. High-pitched and painful. Tight and drawn out. But if Red just kissed her and told her she was submitting and offering up her exposed belly, that tight high-wire of noise would loosen to the dull bass of a warm growl. Instinct would take over._

_ Hands ran through Red's hair and nails dug painfully into her scalp. Red let out a small yelp of pain that quickly change to a moan when Yinchun pulled her hair back abruptly, exposing her, making her vulnerable. The fear mixed with pleasure as teeth and tongue attacked the soft skin of her neck and the pain warred with bliss. They were hidden in the darkness and safe from prying eyes, so Yinchun's hands fumbled at the edge of Red's robes and pulled, baring pale shoulders and the tops of Red's breasts._

_ It was warm... hot, almost. And it felt so good as Yinchun's lips descended lower and her hands drew Red closer to the elder fox posessively. Red let out little noises of encouragement, wanting this loveplay to continue. But almost as suddenly as it had begun, Yinchun pushed away from her, quivering with need. And rage._

_ "No. No."_

_ Red tilted her head to one side, hurt and a bit angry herself. When she was younger, she never participated in loveplay with her other siblings. Whenever it had escalated to that, she had snarled and snapped at them until they went away or they had reverted to play-fighting. Now she was older and wanted this. And she liked Yinchun and wanted her._

_ "Why not?"_

_ "It... you're not.." Yinchun yipped in frustration, trying to get the words out. "I am not an animal! I am not! I... I love Wu Yen."_

Red sighed, draped an arm over her eyes. The memory of Yinchun fresh in her mind. The niggling sense of this, all of this, replaying again in a modern day tragedy. But Mrs. Fox had been through this once. She was prepared this time. This time, no-one would die.

* * *

"I hope this room okay?" A young monk-in-training murmured in his broken English. He pushed the doors to the room open and stepped inside, motioning for his guests to do likewise. Haoxian was the only one who hesitated before he stepped over the threshold. They had decided that Nam Ho and several of his monks would talk to the clan of hunters first and if negotiations failed, they would think of another plan.

"Sorry. No tour." The monk smiled apologetically. "Sleep? If... not tired, find me. Li--librar--books room. Food, water on table. For dog, too. On floor."

"Thank you." Dr. Lipsky gave a low bow at the waist and the young boy laughed before leaving. Immediately after, Dr. Lipsky spun towards the bed.

"Dibs on the b--"

Jim was already pulling off his shoes and flopping down on the bed.

"Dibs!" Dr. Lipsky protested, stomping over. While they squabbled, Tigger wandered over to the food set out for him and started wolfing it down. He was hungry and tired and he was going to take advantage of the times he had to rest. Though the food smelled a bit strange, the german shepherd dog was too hungry to care.

"You nervous?" Tim asked Haoxian.

"Yes. A little." He admitted.

"Don't worry so much. Have a drink."

Haoxian refused the offer politely. His eyes were always wandering around the room nervously and even though he was sitting down, he seemed to be in constant motion.

"Hey, throw me one of those." Jim called out. Tim, knowing exactly what his brother was talking about, picked up a piece of white bread in the basket on the table and lobbed it underhand to his brother. Jim mummbled his thanks and ate in between arguing with Drakken.

"Dr. Lipsky, heads up!" The cerulean doctor barely managed to catch the bread that Tim threw towards him.

"Thank you, Timothy." Dr. Lipsky said gratefully before turning back to Jim. "At least TIM knows how to be nice. TIM knows how to follow the rules. Some OTHER people don't even adhere to the rule of 'dibs'!"

"Dude, so not going to make me move." The brunette on the bed glared at the good doctor.

"Rock, paper, scissor!" Drew Lipsky declared angrily. "We'll decide, once and for all who gets the bed!"

"Rock, paper-- are you kidding?" Jim looked at Dr. Lipsky in bewilderment. "That's not a way to decide ANYTHING."

"It's the best way to decide EVERYTHING. Best out of three!"

"No."

Dr. Lipsky turned around to look at Tim and pointed at Jim angrily. "He won't let me sleep! The bed's big enough for TWO people."

"Jim--"

"Fine! God!" Jim stuffed the rest of the bread into his mouth and kicked off his shoes. He started making a barrier in the middle with one of the blankets on the bed. When he was finished, he glared at the doctor.

"Your side," Jim pointed to one side of the bed. Then he pointed to the other side of the bed. "MY side."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Tigger rolled his eyes and trotted over, settling down near the head of the bed. He was getting tired...

After a few more minutes of arguing and shuffling, there was quiet. And before long, everybody was asleep except for Haoxian and Tim. The young Asian man had gotten up from his seat and was now pacing the length of the room while Tim ate slowly and watched their guest.

"Why are you so nervous?"

"Because." Haoxian's hands were shaking and he clasped them together. "What if the abbot sides with them? I am in his house! I am surrounded!"

"We're here with you." Tim stood up and put both his hands on the young man's shoulders, steadying him. Tim was a bit surprised. Haoxian's entire being radiated power. Why was he so afraid? He seemed invincible!

Haoxian seemed to sense Tim's thoughts and smiled wryly. "Imagine if you were so powerful that you could level mountains. You could live even longer than these mountains... now imagine even with all these powers, you were imprisoned. Immobile. Unable to even SPEAK. That is what will happen if they catch me again. They will put me back in my prison--"

"That won't happen." Tim shook the young Asian man lightly, unnerved to hear a tiny, hysterical giggle escape from Haoxian's lips.

"I would rather die then go back." Haoxian said in a harsh whisper. His eyes refocused back on Tim and gave the twin a strained smile. "Sorry. I am a bit... overwhelmed. We have to free my father. He can fix all of this."

Tim nodded, pulling the distraught young man over to the table to sit. "Relax. When Nam Ho comes back, we'll figure out what to do next."

Haoxian nodded wordlessly and sighed. "I am afraid."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I have escaped before. And always, they have caught me."

"How?" Tim frowned. "You're... powerful, right?"

Haoxian smirked, brushing his fingers through his hair nervously. "Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE has a weakness. Even my great and powerful father. That is how he was caught."

They needed all the pieces of the puzzle. And for some reason, what Haoxian was telling him now seemed extremely important. "How did they catch your father?"

He had asked the right question. Haoxian stared at Tim blankly, eyes wide in surprise. "I... I do not remember. But... I know it. I know what it is! But I can not seem to..."

Haoxian stared at Tim in triumph. "I know this is important! You are amazing!"

"It's no big." Tim used the back of his hand to cover a yawn. Suddenly, he was very tired. Alarmingly so. And everything was starting to blur, but Tim's brain made the connections quickly, working overtime to counteract whatever drug was in his system. Even though Tim could feel his body shutting down on him, he forced his suddenly thick tongue to try and warn Haoxian.

"Haoxian, it's a... trap..." Tim looked up at the man weakly. The last thing he saw was the alarmed expression on Haoxian's face as Tim pitched forward.

* * *

endnote: sorry this was so short. Gonna try to write more later! As always, any reviews, criticisms or comments that you want to send are very welcome. I'm sorry I haven't replied to any reviews or comments :( It was either write the story or reply. So I think a lot of you would rather I get my ass in front of my laptop and write. So here you go! Lets hope the next one isn't as long in coming!


	6. The Sixth and the Second

The Sixth and the Second

A Kim Possible Fanfiction

immo

Author's note: Told you this was gonna be continued. I just got... sidetracked. Yeah. :P

* * *

"Tim, bro, hang on." Jim said with a quavering voice. He was stuck in a cage, while his brother had been stripped down to his underwear and hung up, half-suspended in the air, shivering from the cold the night brought. Tim twitched, waking up at the sound of his brother's voice. He opened his one good eye to look at his brother. His other eye was swollen shut.

"Dun... worrhee 'bout 'ee..." Tim slurred his words, his mouth was a bloodly mess and his back was in ribbons. They had tortured him until he couldn't scream any more. And they had made Jim watch.

"I'll kill them. I'll kill them, those assholes!" Jim's voice hitched, so he had to stop talking. Crying wasn't going to do any good. He could feel himself losing control and it wasn't a good feeling at all. He had tried his best to maintain some semblance of order after his sister had been kidnapped, and his discipline and training helped that illusion. But now, with his brother strung up and bleeding, Jim felt raw and naked. He couldn't control anything. He couldn't do anything.

Since they had been brought here, things had turned ugly. These people meant business. Drakken, Tigger and their guest were missing, so Jim assumed the worst and no amount of screaming got his questions answered.

As the leader of this clan had said, "We ask the questions. And you BETTER have our answers."

Jim and Tim didn't have the answers, though. So they had dragged Tim out and beat him for every time they couldn't get an answer. Only the leader seemed to get joy out of beating the crap out of Tim, though. The rest of the hunters looked troubled. Especially the one who had been in charge of bringing them in.

They had been drugged and had woken up trussed up and groggy with people dressed, in Jim's opinion, like ninjas surrounding them. Only these ninjas were dressed in greens, blacks and browns, sort of a forest-version ninja.

"You're awake, I see." One of the ninjas said with heavily accented Chinese. He smiled in amusement at him. "Your brother and I have been having a nice talk. We're glad to see you're alright."

"What..." Jim looked around and saw Tim a stone's throw away being transported in a tiny cramped cage. As was he, Jim noticed.

"Jim. They're taking us for a little bit of a ride." Tim called out from his cage, seemingly quite carefree and enjoying the company. "This is Lang."

The man who had been speaking before gave a polite nod. "I'm sorry to have to bring you in like this, but my father has... requested that you and your friends join us."

Jim gave his brother a look that Tim quickly interpreted. Being practically joined at the hips since birth had made it very easy for them to read each.

'Where's the rest of our guys?'

'Far as I know, they didn't get them.' Tim signalled. The twins were securely locked in. Whoever these guys were, they knew how to grab someone and make sure they didn't escape. As they travelled, Lang kept up a short conversation with Tim, which Jim barely followed as he tried to look for a way to escape or loosen his bonds. The men carrying them moved swiftly and quietly. Once, Jim felt a ripple of silent communications pass between their captors and their subsequent quickening pace, but that was all.

"What's happening?" Tim piped up, watching the scenery of greens pass by even faster.

Lang smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry if the ride's gotten a little bumpy, but it seems like our cousins, the monks, have found out we've taken you and are pursuing. They're a good ways back, but we want to make sure they don't get too close."

The guards that had been shadowing them suddenly tightened their circle around the cage. Some had slipped away, Jim guessed, maybe to keep the people following them away.

"We're almost there, anyways."

And in a few seconds, the woods thinned and a path appeared, leading them to where they needed to go. When Jim looked up, he thought he could see men hiding in the trees, watching this little procession carefully. A man was standing off to the side, and as soon as the cage and its guards pulled alongside him, he fell down to one knee gracefully. Their party slowed to a stop and Lang motioned for the man to rise.

"_Deliver your message._" Lang spoke in a dialect of Chinese, thought long lost to the world, but alive and well in the tiny village of hunters.

"_Your father killed two monks that had been accompanying the abbot. The abbot has managed to escape with his remaining three vanguards._" The man looked up at Lang plaintively, obviously lost and unsure of how to proceed. Despite the shocking news, the Asian man didn't allow any of the horrible surprise he felt show on his face, instead, nodded slowly. Trying to absorb the news and make sense of this.

"_I'll deal with this, but right now there are monks following us and some of our brothers stayed behind to stall them. I need you to get some people to help out._"

The messenger disappeared back into the forest. Even though Jim hadn't understood a word of what they were saying, the messenger's troubled face had said it all. Something was wrong on their side. Which meant Jim and his brother might have a chance to escape...

"_Open up!_" Lang hollered up at wooden gates that had seemed to suddenly appear in front of them. In this forest, the enclosed dwellings looked like a place that Robin Hood and his Merry Men might have built. It was a fortress, well-defended and in a strategic location, built on a hill so it overlooked it's surroundings without being noticed because it blended in so well with it's surroundings. Entering through the gates, Jim shivered slightly, feeling as if he had just walked through a barrier of cold air.

Inside, the place was full of people rushing around silently, speaking in whispers or using simple hand signals to tell each other what they needed. Despite the language barrier, their tasks and tools told Jim what they were doing. They were in the middle of preparing for battle.

While his brother noted the weapons everyone carried, Tim noticed that no matter how busy everyone was, when they saw Lang, they gave respectful bows. The young Chinese man acknowledged these absentmindedly, his eyes taking in the controlled chaos of his home. One young man ran up to them and gave a low bow, then motioned for them to follow him.

"_What's happening?_" Lang asked the young man in a low whisper.

"_You father says to prepare. If our cousins come after us in retaliation... we're to show no mercy. We have to treat them just like how we treat the other-folk._" The young man said quietly, disturbed by his own message. "_Please, sir, what are we going to do?_"

"_I'll try to talk to my father. But he hasn't been himself since Haoxian disappeared. He... he might not listen to me._" Lang admitted, a little bit worried. Tim tried hard to understand what they were saying, but gave up quickly, knowing no matter how much he WISHED he knew Chinese, he wouldn't be able to understand them by just wishing it. So he paid more attention to his surroundings, seeing that most of the houses were made of wood and rocks and the only way in or out seemed to be the main entrance.

'God damn it.' Tim cursed silently, looking around furtively and catching a glimpse of something that stood out from the spartan dwellings. It was a wall. Not even a supporting wall but just a long free-standing wall in the middle of the village. It seemed to be a mural of some sort. he could make out green scales and a claw, but they were going too quickly for Tim to get a better look. In an instant, the wall had disappeared behind another small wood and stone hut.

When they arrived at the largest building in the little fortified village, Lang motioned for some of the men around to open the large wooden double doors. They entered in single file, Tim and Jim momentarily blinded from the quick transfer from the outdoors and sunlight, to the darker indoors. Once their vision had cleared, they could see that there was a sole occupant in the room who emitted an aura that set both Tim and Jim on edge.

"_Father._" Lang pressed fist against open palm, then bowed low to the large imposing man sitting at the head of the hall. A large table behind the large man housed tablets of red with Chinese writings on them, very similar to the one Tim had seen placed in Shego's house in She Cun. In the middle of the table, there was a large tablet that drawfed the rest of them, obviously showing anybody who studying this table that this large tablet was the most important. Offerings of fruit, flowers and incense pots burning with the sweet-smelling joss sticks was placed in front of these tablets. Other than that and the two ornate chairs in front of the altar, there was a line of bamboo sticks leaning against the wall, from the smallest and thinnest stick to one that was easily the circumference of Lang's forearm.

'Lang's ancestors...' Tim surmised when he saw the tablets. He couldn't make heads out tails out of the bamboo, though. The agitated movements of the patriarch of the village drew Tim's wary attentions back to the scene that was playing out.

"_Where's our prisoner?_" Lang's father demanded, storming forward, his body radiating violence. His long hair was tied into a topknot, letting Tim see the resemblance and the difference between father and son. While both looked the same, the father dwarfed the son in sheer presence.

"_Father, he wasn't there. But I brought these foreigners back, like you said._" Lang licked his lips nervously and squared his shoulders. "_Father... did... did you kill a monk?_"

The leader of this clan of hunters glared at his son for a moment then started laughing loudly, unpleasantly.

"_When you take over as leader, trust me, you'll think just like me. You'll BE me and you won't question me._" Lang's father smiled toothily, giving off the impression of a large and very hungry shark. "_What I do is for the best. You'll see._"

"Now." The patriarch switched to English and turned to the captives, his face dark with unspoken emotions. "Lets tend to our guests. The lot of you can call me Master Heen."

"I'm *not* calling you master." Jim shot back, disgusted. Again, the patriarch of the clan gave an ugly laugh, and pointed at a couple of the men.

"_Take them out. Spread them and tie them to the cage. I have questions to ask them about the whereabouts of Haoxian._"

The two boys tensed up, seeing their captors going for the keys to their locks. They both had their bonds loose, all they needed was for them to open the gate and--

"Step out, slowly. One at a time." Wolf had a scimitar against Tim's throat, and the young Possible couldn't move away from the weapon. He was immobile and helpless. Lang's face was a blank, but his eyes were troubled, as were the other hunters in the building.

"_Good boy._" Master Heen said smugly as the twins came out and were quickly restrained with iron manacles and stretched out against the large cages that had transported them.

"What do you want from us?" Jim demanded. There was no slack in his bonds as he pulled against them, testing them. These would be much harder to get out of.

"_All of you can leave._" Master Heen commanded. "_Lang. Stay with me._"

Lang bowed his head, obeying his father as everybody else left and only the the two hunters and their two prisoners were left.

"_Are you alright, ah ba?_" Lang asked his father hesitantly, noting the few new strands of white that had appeared since Wolf went hunting for these people. Usually, his father's hair was an immaculate black, his face showing only a man who had aged well, with few lines to marr his features. Now the frown lines on his forehead was evident, even when he was not frowning; the corners of his mouth turned down into a grimace when usually an easy smile graced his features. In the history of their clan, no one had ever escaped before except for Haoxian, and even then, he was caught immediately.

This was the first time in the history of the Hunter Clan that Haoxian had been gone for more than a day.

"_I will be as soon as soon as Haoxian is back where he belongs._" Master Heen's back was ramrod straight, revealing the stress the leader of the clan was under. Lang had heard from his mother, how his father had changed drastically when his grandfather, the previous head of the clan, had died. The mantle of leadership was heavy and required a great deal from the person who wore it.

"Now I'm going to ask you boys a few questions. I want you to answer them." Master Heen rolled up the sleeves of the uniform dark green that everyone in the village seemed to wear and rested a hand easily on the dagger hanging from his waist. Jim's eyes rested on the weapon with a little bit of trepidition.

Tim gave a cocksure grin. "Shoot."

"Where is Haoxian? The... young 'man' you were with?"

Tim shrugged and answered truthfully. "No idea. I woke up and he was gone."

Master Heen tilted his head to the side. "I don't believe you."

"It's the truth." Tim was switching to the 'annoying jock' personality he used to piss off Jim some times. And Jim could see it was also working on Master Heen as the man narrowed his eyes at Tim's insolent tone of voice.

But then, Master Heen smiled.

And that smile wasn't nice.

Lang took a step back to avoid his father crashing into him as he strode over to the rows of bamboo and picked the smallest one.

"No!" Jim strained against his chains, eyes wide with disbelief, sick to his stomach as he realized quickly what the bamboos were for.

"Seems like your brother catches on quick." Master Heen drawled, bamboo twirling lazily in his right hand. "He knows exactly what'll happen if you don't give me the truth."

"You're going to do a baton routine?" Tim asked lazily and had the audacity to look bored. The sharp crack of the bamboo connecting with Tim's face resounded in the room and Jim strained against his chains wildly, swearing at the man who had dared to hit his twin.

"Lets try this again." Master Heen's right eye twitched with annoyance. He used to be patient. But he was running out of time. "Where. Is. Haoxian?"

Tim's left cheek had an angry welt on it but he seemed not to notice the pain.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Tim did his best to shrug. "Maybe you need to brush up on your English, your accent's making it hard--"

The bamboo came down again, splitting the skin, opening up the welt and spilling blood.

"Fucking get the fuck away from my brother you psycho!" Jim screamed, feeling so much rage well up inside of him as he watched the blood drip down his brother's skin and stain his black shirt an even darker black.

"Ah ba," Lang was slightly alarmed at the blood. They didn't hurt humans. This was crossing the lines.

"One more time." Master Heen ignored his son and used the stick to tilt Tim's head to the side, examining his handiwork critically. "Where is Haoxian?"

The playful arrogance was still there in Tim's answering smirk. "Maybe you should look in your ma--"

The twin's head snapped to the side as Master Heen backhanded him hard across the face.

* * *

"_Here._" Bai Su Zhen's arrival at the bank of the Ganges River, flanked by Xaio Qing and the young fox spirit, Yinchun, made the people flee in terror. They had just demolished the marketplace and were now in the process of dragging a man twice their size to the edge of the waters. The people fled from these terrifying individuals to a safer distance to watch.

Xaio Qing, who had been bringing their victim along, pushed the huge man down to the ground. He had fought well, but against four fighters, all of whom were supernaturally gifted, he was absolutely no match. Even when his friends had joined in the fight, they had all been beaten sorely.

"You didn't have to hurt them... What do you want with me?" The Indian man named Avinash, bruised and bloodied, shivered even in the blistering heat. These past few months, his life had been thrown into a loop! He was just a simple milkman! Born and raised in India with a simple education and a simple disposition, Avinash was quite unextraordinary. The only thing that made him stand out was his size. Even as a child, he towered over children his own age. Avinash naturally put on weight and muscles and was a prime example of what a rugby player should be. But he was no jock and was gentle and quiet, speaking low and pleasantly. He was even-tempered and lashed out only when others were being bullied and was prone to be a little bit stubborn at times. His family were not well-off, but the cows that wandered the streets seemed to adore Avinash and followed him wherever he went. He made a living selling their milk and supported his parents and siblings.

That was the norm until several months ago. One morning, out of the blue, his cows started talking. He UNDERSTOOD what they were saying! At first, Avinash thought he was hearing things and was going crazy. He had been quite upset about that. But then, his cows had noticed his agitation and reassured Avinash with such gentle mooing that his fear dissolved into wonder at his new ability.

Things had just gotten stranger and stranger from there.

Another morning, he had woken up and seen his aged father and mother huddled in the kitchen, tears streaming from her mother's face. On closer inspection, he saw that she had broken her arm and his father had explained that she had fallen down some steps while bringing water back. They didn't have enough money for a doctor and a broken arm was a disaster in their world. Avinash had touched his mother's shoulder and he had... healed her. It was amazing and a little bit disgusting to see the bones shift and slide back into place, the skin above the breakage moving according to how the bones shifted. But she was as good as new! And the news had spread through the slums so day and night, there were people lining up outside to beg him to help them. Avinash was only too happy to and praised all the gods for his gift.

As time went on, not only could he understand the cows, but he understood all animals that crossed his paths. And those that stayed near him grew more intelligent, more lively. His favourite cow's mooing was slowly beginning to sound more and more like human speech.

Then, one morning, just like all those other unremarkable mornings, Avinash woke up to find a tiny garden snake curled up on his chest, swaying gently and looking at him with an unwavering gaze.

...I found you!... the tiny snake's shrill voice, and its message sent a shiver of trepidition down Avinash's back. Before the muscular Indian man could ask what the snake was talking about, it had already hurriedly slithered off of him and into a crack in the wall.

Avinash had wanted to ask the snake if people were searching for him, and if so, who?

And this morning, again, deceptively like an everyday morning, he got his answer.

Avinash's bovine friends had warned him first. He was going his rounds in the morning, selling milk to those who would buy it from him. Business was good, his healing fame made him the most sought-after milkman this side of the Ganges! The cows usually went with him and made a buffer around the tall man, to keep people away from their friend during his morning rounds. Since his healing powers got out, people swamped to him. All he asked from them was to have time to sleep and time to make money to help his family, but it was impossible. So the bovine had discussed it with him and helped keep the people away at the hours he requested.

Today, though, something was wrong. They gathered tightly around him, and no amount of shooing them off would make them give him more breathing space. They were scared and said so.

"My friends, what is the matter?" Avinash asked in exasperation and worry.

...Something comes. We don't know, but it comes for you... was the cryptic answer. And then, the four figures had appeared in front of him, blocking his way. All of East Asian descent, their skin pale and creamy, like the milk Avinash sold. One was dressed very provocatively, her sari bold reds, her golden eyes sparkling. Another was dressed in robes of white that was impossibly clean of the dust of the road. The third wore something similar in style to the one in white, except her colours were the greens of emeralds. And the last, the last kept a black cloak on, hood pulled down as low as possible, not an inch of skin showing.

How did Avinash know it was a she? Why was this figure draped in black so... familiar?

...Stay back!... the cows shuffled restlessly, mooing in fear. ...they come for you!...

"Sir." The one in the red sari smiled, speaking fluently in his native tongue. "Please, come with us."

...Run, Avi! Run away!... with that, the cows charged as one towards the four. When they had taken the first cow by the horns and casually flipped her aside, Avinash had seen red. He had run in to join his friends, but the hooded figure stepped in front of him.

"MOVE!" Avinash howled as his friends bellowed and ran amuck, charging everywhere and trying to stomp these four into the ground. But even though they were causing a lot of damage to the market around them, Avinash could see them being knocked down more often than not. And some of them were, to his great distress, staying down and not getting up.

The figure did not move. In fact, she motioned for him to calm down.

"If you don't move, I'll MAKE YOU MOVE!" He moved forward to pick up the woman and move her aside. But in an instant, he was screaming in pain as she caught his wrist and twisted it behind his back, forcing him to the ground.

...Avi!... One of the cows had seen the trouble his human friend was in and was now charging towards them in an attempt to drive off Avinash's tormentor. The distraction was all Avinash need and he wrenched himself out of that grip, quickly following that up with a flailing fist, feeling like a cornered animal. He had been beaten until he could no longer get up. Then they had dragged him to the holy river.

"_I want to say now,_" The mysterious woman stood over him. "_I am sorry we have to do it this way. But it IS the only way._"

Avinash looked up, tired and beaten, not even questioning how he understood the strange language this woman was speaking. Tears were running down his cheeks at the thought of his friends lying in the dust, possibly dead. His eyes looked up into the face behind the hood and at his vantage point, he could see the face of the person quite clearly and felt his blood suddenly freeze in terror, all other emotions gone.

Scales were peeling off her face, her green eyes were contracted to slits, like a snake who had just woken up. She smirked and grabbed him by his mid-length black hair and started walking with Avinash in tow, into the Ganges.

"No!" He tried to struggle as he realized what she wanted to do. "NO!"

The cloaked woman pulled and dragged an unwilling and screaming Avinash into the river until she was waist deep. Then she casually placed her other hand on his head and plunged his head down into the muddy waters, holding his head firmly underneath the surface.

Avinash struggled, the water was foam all around them from his efforts, but he couldn't fight against this woman's inhuman strength, felt his strength slipping away as water entered his lungs and his vision started to black out...

The four watched the body's struggles lessen until it was just a sluggish movement. Then finally, there was nothing.

"_Is he dead?_" Yinchun, the woman in red asked in Chinese. Bai Su Zhen held Xaio Qing's hand, keeping her out of the water and away from the cloaked woman. The Green Snake looked entirely unhappy about this scenario and seemed to want to rush to the cloaked woman's side. But Lady White Snake held her back with soft cooing words, trying to still her sister's agitation.

"_He's dead._" The woman straightened up and Avinash's body slowly bobbed to the surface.

Avinash twitched in the water. The mystery woman chuckled.

"_But not for long._" The woman backed up out of the water as tremours took over Avinash's body until it looked like he was having a seizure. "_Wake up, brother. It was not easy to find you._"

With a roar, Avinash resurfaced, drenched and coughing up mud and water. As he stood there though, there was one thing that you just could not ignore, and it was the fact that he was GROWING.

"Why did you have to drown me!--"

"_You would have never woken up and you would have been trapped underneath this river forever if I hadn't._" The woman replied blithely and gave a polite nod of her head. "_Welcome back to the world, brother._"

"_Six_," Avinash snorted, shaking his head ruefully. Surprisingly, Avinash was speaking perfect Chinese. His body, meanwhile, continued to change. A fine black-brown hair was slowly sprouting all over his body and his skull seemed to be reforming itself into a new shape. "_You always knew how to get on mine and Seven's nerves._"

"_Without me, you two would've been bored to tears._" The Sixth hissed, a smile in her voice.

"_You look like a HUGE cow!_" Yinchun called up to the bull-man in amazement, interrupting the two's exchange. The gigantic dark-brown bull amused her to no end!

"_Ha!_" He peered down at the three people accompanying the Sixth and grinned at them. "_So who are these people, Six? Introduce!_"

"_My children,_" The woman motioned to Bai Su Zhen and Xaio Qing. "_Bai Su Zhen and little Xaio Qing who loves me dearly and seems to not like you so much._"

"_Oh ho,_" The bull tilted his head to one side to get a better look at the woman dressed in green, who hid behind Bai Su Zhen and glared at the large bull-man. "_Protective of you, is she? Don't worry little one, I won't hurt your mama._"

"_And this is Yinchun._" Yinchun nodded perkily and looked up in amazement at the man's horns, the sun glinting off the tips.

"_Now that you're awake,_" The Sixth suddenly became deathly serious. "_Will you join me? We're going to wake the others up. And then we're going to find who did this to us and make them PAY._"

The last word was spoken with such vehemence, Avinash felt a little bit scared.

"_Join us, Elder Brother. You were second. Your strength would help--_"

"No." Avinash spoke in the language he used back when he had been a man. But he wasn't anymore and he wasn't the man named Avinash. That man slept deep inside this half-man half-bull behemoth. Now, he was the Second, and he towered over everyone at almost two stories high, the razor sharp horns on his head adding an extra several feet. He reached up to scratch his muzzle, then regarded his hands and looked down at his new body with amusement.

"I'll stay here. I'm not a fighter, Six. Not like you and some of the others. And I am not angry. I'm just sad." The Second shook his head. "When you have gathered the rest of us together, I will come with you and complete our circle. But I can't help you."

The Second looked at the Sixth with sad eyes and said softly in his low baritone voice, "I don't know if it was a good idea, Six, waking me, waking us up. I won't stop you... but you know some of us... some of us will be very angry. I don't want anybody hurt."

The Sixth understood. Some of her brothers and sisters would be angry. Angry enough and powerful enough to level civilizations. But she pushed all care aside. Everybody would pay for their imprisonment. She would make EVERYBODY pay. "_I understand, brother. You were always too gentle for your own good. Just don't stand in our way. Now... what will you do?_"

"I'll stay here in India." The Bull-headed man smiled thinly. "I want to fix my river. All I smell is sewage."

"_Because you're covered in it._" The Sixth laughed. The woman was spotless and dry from head to toe, even though she had been wading waist deep in the Ganges just moments ago.

"Hmph." The bull snorted, then dipped his hands into the river, holding the water in his cupped hands. Carefully, he spread his fingers and the water leaked out of his hands in streams, back to the River it had come from. As soon as the water from his hand hit the river, there came an astonishing change.

Where the river had been polluted and murky, clear blue water seemed to spread out in all directions, with the Ox being in the center. He watched, wearily as the purity spread and the garbage and waste was obliterated in the wake of this cleansing force. The blue, crystal clear waters spread and spread until up and down the river, there was only an expanse of the clearest, sweetest liquid as far as the eye could see.

"_You know, they won't appreciate it. They'll dump their corpses in here again and throw their feces and leftovers into you river._" The Sixth mused. "_In fact, they're probably doing it right now._"

"I'll deal with them. You take care, Six." He gave her a pointed look. "Your body doesn't seem to be holding up well. Be careful."

"_She was broken when she started carrying me, but she's strong. But you're right, I'll have to be quick._" The Six nodded to the Bull. "_Be careful, brother. There are hunters after us._"

The Second growled low in his throat, seeing a brief flash of red at the mention of the hunters, remembering them quite well even though its been several thousand years. "If they dare show themselves, I'll grind them into the dust."

* * *

endnote: Like it, love it? Want me to stop taking so long? Any kinda feedback is nice! :D


	7. Heart's Desire

Heart's Desire

A Kim Possible Fanfiction

immo

Author's note: You guys are gonna kill me... actually, I've had this lying around for a good month or so already, but I just didn't post it. Hahahaha... hahah... ha... And I'd like to say that your reviews DID prompt me to look over this mess and post it at 4am in the morning. I'm sorry boys and girls. But now that I have more free time, I'll try to churn out a bit more. The next chapter is 40-50% done, so expect it in a week or two. Or if I'm really feeling the writing bug, this weekend :P I'm sorry guys, truly I am.

By the way, this story will get confusing. Or is already damn confusing. So I've started writing a sorta character summary dealie. Look for it to clear up the confusion!

* * *

It wasn't working.

"SHEGO!" Kim's voice carried through the door. "Shego, where are you?"

Shego pushed the doors open, feeling absolutely hopeless at the sight of the naked redhead sprawled on the floor and trying to crawl out of the room but not having the strength to do so.

"Hush, now, love." Shego was at Kim's side, one arm going under the redhead's torso, the other arm slipping under Kim's knees to pick her up. Effortlessly, the green-skinned woman transferred the redhead onto the bed. But when she tried to back away, she found she couldn't. Kim had a death's grip on Shego's clothes.

"Kim, Kim, let go." Shego said softly.

Kim Possible shook her head. "No. No... Shego, kiss me."  
The other woman shook her head sadly. "I can't. You're so weak already."

"Stay with me." Kim sobbed, burying her face into the front of Shego's loose shirt. "Stay... please. Don't leave."

Things hadn't gotten better. Kim wasn't... happy. Whenever she saw Shego, she wanted her to touch her. And Shego had complied, quite willingly at first. The sex was mind-blowing, but it sapped Kim's energy level down to near nothing afterwards. But the redhead always demanded it when Shego came. And when Shego wasn't there when Kim was awake, she would scream for her until the other woman came running.

"Shego..." Kim clawed at the front of Shego's shirt, managing to get it open to the collarbone, kissing the bared skin reverently, ignoring the large red stone that hung around Shego's neck. "Shego, just... relax."

"No, Kim--"

"No!" Surprisingly, the redhead still had the strength to flip Shego over and pin her to the bed. Kim yanked Shego's hands over the woman's head and held her hands captive with one of her own. Kim's lips nipped and kissed frantically all over Shego's pale neck and the green-eyed villain groaned and arched up against Kim, gasping when the redhead ripped open her shirt with her free hand.

"Shego..." Kim's drew out the other woman's name in a feral growl, hand grabbing one of Shego's breasts, fondling it roughly before traveling quickly down, fingers trailing down hot flesh. Her eyes never leaving Shego's, her eyes showing nothing but pain and lust.

"Kim," Shego's voice had a note of panic as the redhead tugged at her pants. "Kim, no--nghh!"

Whatever Shego was about to say was cut off by Kim roughly shoving into her and Shego bucked up into that touch, wild for that touch, loving how the redhead dominated her completely and completely forgetting why she shouldn't be doing this with Kim Possible.

Wrenching her hands out of Kim's iron grip, the black-haired woman clawed at Kim's back, trying to pull her further in, feeling the woman burning inside her, thrusting hard. Groaned into Kim's shoulder loudly as each movement mashed her into the sheets, shaking and testing the bed's frame.

She wasn't getting better.

"Ah, ah, AH!" Shego cried out, sent over the edge quickly by Kim's touch, by how she had taken her, by the violence. Felt herself glow with a new energy, sated and glowing. Kim's body quivered with need as she rocked against Shego wantonly, hot and wet against her.

"Please," The greatest villains in the world would've paid an obscene amount of money to see Kim beg at their feet, reduced to a blubbering, shaking mess. They would've derived a huge amount of malicious glee to see her suffering like this. But Shego, this Shego right now would pay any money to NOT see Kim reduced to this. "Pleaseee, Shego, just... I need..."

"Shhh..." Shego craned her neck upwards and kissed the quivering girl then took hold of her hips and gently positioned the redhead so the green-skinned woman could relieve the heroine. The tiny whispers that emitted from the redhead grew into gasps and groans, Kim's fingers tangled in Shego's hair, riding out her pleasure, desperate for her climax. And when she came, Kim screamed wordlessly, guttural and low, letting Shego lap up her strength, felt the numbness tingle through her entire being, successfully anesthetizing her. The pain slipped away until Kim couldn't feel it anymore and the redhead smiled and fell over to the side, shaking from the exertion, her body ice-cold.

"Kim!" Shego rolled over so she was on top, cupped Kim's cheek frantically, scared when she saw the redhead's teeth chattering.

"I-I'm s-s-so c-cold, Sh-Shego." Kim smiled up at Shego, blinking away tears. "I-I'm n-never going t-t-to lea-ve y-you."

The green-skinned woman held Kim close and pulled a sheet on top of the both of them, hoping that some of her warmth would transfer over to Kim, hoping that Kim could just... she could just live. Shego wanted to weep, wanted to cry like how she had seen Kim cry day after day.

But she just couldn't summon the tears.

* * *

_"What do you want from me?" Red cowered in a corner, watching her sister grab the ornate, heavy wooden table by a leg, and flip it clear across the room, smashing it to pieces. Grateful to know that guards never came when there were strange noises. The emperor had ordered it and reassured them that the Empress of the West Palace could take care of herself and they were better off not disturbing the strange Empress. _

_ Empress Wu Yen of the East Palace had come looking for Empress Yinchun of the West Palace and their strained conversation had erupted into a heated argument. "WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHY DO YOU TORTURE ME LIKE THIS?"_

_ Wu Yen the Warrior watched Yinchun calmly, unafraid in the face of the powerful enchantress' anger. Wu Yen's own anger made her immune to Yinchun's show of anger. The Warrior Empress' face was red from her emotions, the red birthmark that covered up a quarter of her face blend in a bit more with her skin. This mark, was in fact a love curse placed on the Empress' face and was the only thing that marred her beauty. It had been given to her by Yinchun when they had first met and it was enspelled only to appear when Wu Yen was in love with the Emperor._

_ The mark was supposed to... *encourage* Wu Yen to not love the Emperor. It was supposed to torture the beautiful human and make her give up on the Emperor, however now, the tables had turned. What was supposed to be torturous for the Empress bothered her very little and the mark was now a source of anguish for the fox spirit who had placed it there. It mocked Yinchun every time she saw the Empress Wu Yen, told her quite plainly who was in the Empress' heart and who was not._

_ "Why the hell are you angry? I'm the one who should be angry!" Wu Yen got right up in Yinchun's face, shouting right back at the angry fox. "Where were you during the festival? Weren't you supposed to be watching the fireworks with me? And who the hell is she?"_

_ Wu Yen pointed at Red, who tried even harder to shrink into a ball and make herself invisible._

_ "Why do you care?" Yinchun snarled, her canines showing, losing a little bit of control over her human form. _

_ "Because you said YOU cared!" Wu Yen snapped, tears of anger and frustration finally escaping out of the corners of her eyes. "You said you cared about me and then you bring in some random girl and you ignore my invitations--look at me!"_

_ Yinchun's eyes had wandered to Red, looking at her younger sibling as if to say 'can you believe this?'_

_ "What?" Yinchun barked out, flinched when Wu Yen touched her and drew away. The fight went out of her immediately and she put distance between herself and the woman. "Don't, Wu Yen."_

_ "Why won't you let me touch you any more?" Wu Yen asked mournfully. "We'd been getting along... we were talking. We were having fun. It took us so long to become friends and now you're ignoring me."_

_ "You... you don't need me." Yinchun let her shoulders slump. She was utterly confused by this woman, utterly defeated. "You should just leave me alone. It's better for the both of us."_

_ "Is it because I won't love you?" Wu Yen's voice was barely above a whisper, her cheeks tinged pink. Wu Yen was the Emperor's woman, as was Yinchun. They had been sort of rivals before, with Wu Yen fighting for the Emperor's affections, while Yinchun fought for Wu Yen's affections by making sure the Emperor fell for Yinchun and not Wu Yen so Wu Yen would HAVE to love Yinchun._

_ It had been complicated._

_ And that had been a long time ago, back when Wu Yen had wanted to kill Yinchun. Needless to say, they had a lot of water under the bridge._

_ How they had come to this, was unknown. Wu Yen, no matter how much she denied it, liked having Yinchun around now. The fox spirit was undeniably charming and damn persistant. And it was hard to hate someone who fervently declared they loved you every time they saw you. How had they come to this, now? Fighting with each other, not really knowing why they were fighting._

_ The Empress looked over at Red, still hiding in a corner and asked again, feeling her heart clench at the thought. "Is that my replacement?"_

_ "There is no other." Yinchun said at once. "You're the only one. She's... meet my sister."_

_ "Oh." Wu Yen managed to look ashamed but felt relief wash over her. She smiled weakly at Red. "I'm sorry."_

_ "Why are you here?" Yinchun was so weary of this game. But she kept playing it because the prize was everything she had ever wanted. No other prize, even if it was draped in fineries, silk and pearls, compared to this. This prize was EVERYTHING to Yinchun. "What do you want from me, Wu Yen?"_

_ "I'm... I'm not brave like you, Yinchun." Wu Yen fidgetted with the hem of her sleeves nervously. "So I'll tell you what: if you answer my question first, then I'll answer yours."_

_ The fox enchantress nodded warily, confused by this shy woman that had taken the place of the usually cool empress. Watched the Empress' gold earrings sparkle in the candlelight, enchanted by the Empress and her sweet voice. Watched Wu Yen fidget with her hands and Yinchun found herself wishing she could entwine her fingers in the Empress'._

_ "Do you still care about me?"_

_ Red relaxed as the atmosphere changed, their voices had softened and their bodies weren't in a fighting posture. The younger fox tilted her head to the side, listening to the conversation between Yinchun and the empress carefully._

_ Yinchun studied Wu Yen's face, looked and looked while searching deep inside herself for the answer. It was always the same. No matter how Wu Yen would change, no matter how much Wu Yen hated her, how many times she said no; Yinchun only ever had one answer to that question._

_ "I'll never stop caring about you. I'll die loving you, Wu Yen." Yinchun took a deep breath, unable to stop the words coming out of her mouth. "I want to be with you forever, even if you don't want me._"

_ Wu Yen nodded, processing these words. Then a slow, gorgeous smile spread across her lips._

_ "What do you want from me, Wu Yen?" Yinchun repeated, head bowed and exhausted from the emotional battle. She jumped a bit when fingers slipped and interlaced with her own, looked up to see Wu Yen's glittering eyes._

_ "I think... I think I want what you want."_

_ Yinchun stared at Wun Yen in amazement for a few seconds. Then a deliriously happy smile crossed the fox spirit's lips as she raised her free hand up and touched Wu Yen's suddenly unblemished face._

_ The red mark had disappeared._

_

* * *

_

Red could see it all happening again, just like that time long ago, and she could feel a migraine coming on. Kim would not get better. Things would end up just like before, it was just going slower. And now, this... arrogant girl in front of her was not making her headache any better.

_"I *order* you to bring Kim out to see me." _Michelle, also known as 'Fong', glared at Red. The fox demon's lips were pulled down into a grimace.

_"You, human? YOU, order ME?"_ She barked out a harsh laugh, but Red was not at all amused. This GIRL had burst into her home (well, until the snakes came home, this was Red's place), and DEMANDED to see Kim. And when Red had politely refused, she had the audacity to COMMAND it! In the back of Red's mind, she was a little bit impressed that the woman hadn't succumbed to her, but she was far too angry right now to appreciate this inner strength the woman showed.

_"Fong..."_ Vince, squinted at Michelle painfully, trying to fight the fog over his mind, but unable to. Him, Ron and Monique were currently reclining on huge pillows, being fed grapes by various carp-people. Rufus, on seeing Michelle, had immediately left his master to climb up onto Michelle's shoulders. He chattered nervously to Michelle, looking at the people he had been with helplessly. He hadn't been able to snap Ron out of whatever the fox demon had done to them and his nerves were shot from the close proximity of Red.

_"It'll be alright, ah Cheung."_ Michelle reassured her husband while placing a calming hand on Rufus' small body. "She'll let you guys leave soon enough."

_"And pray tell, why would I do that?"_ Red hissed, losing her patience with this impertinent girl.

_"Because I'm a direct descendant of Bai Su Zhen." _Michelle snapped back, her eyes narrowed to slits. _"And since I was young, I know for a FACT that if I ask for something from the otherfolk that is within reason, they HAVE to give it to me. So I'm ORDERING you to let. Me. See. Kim."_

Red blinked. Indeed, there was that rule, but the otherfolk and the people of She Cun rarely met. The ONE time Red had ever been asked was long, long time ago before there was such things as satellites and GPS systems. One of the villagers had gotten lost, stumbled upon her and her children, then asked her nicely to point him in the right direction back home.

'If I killed her, no-one would know...' Red thought darkly. The young woman seemed to read her mind, though.

_"Everybody knows I'm up here. If anything were to happen to me, they would blame you. You're responsible for my well-being right now."_ Michelle crossed her arms, drawing strength from the knowledge that because of the blood that flowed through her veins, she stood above this powerful creature and it would HAVE to obey her.

_"What if she doesn't want to see you?"_ Red asked slyly, trying desperately to find a loophole, trying to remember Bai Su Zhen and Xaio Qing's words that would give her an exempt from following the rules set out... But all she remembered was Xaio Qing reiterating the rules she had set long ago, along with the new task she had been given.

Keep Kim Possible safe.

Keep She Cun and its inhabitants safe. If they ask, you fulfill. Or else.

_"Were you told to listen to me, or to listen to Kim Possible?" _Michelle said softly, her voice devoid of emotions. _"Tell me. She's the outsider. I'm your master's descendant."_

_"I. Have. No. Master."_ Red took a step forward, threateningly. How DARE this WHELP insinuate that she was like some common DOG!

_"Then lets pretend I asked nicely and you agreed to my request, shall we?" _The Asian woman's voice was as cold as ice and she didn't even flinch at the fox demon's closeness. _"Can I see Kim? Please."_

Red clenched her teeth together, absolutely insane with rage. But her hands were indeed, tied. If Xaio Qing heard that she hadn't done what she had been told... Red would die horribly. And possibly her daughter, Yinchun would suffer the same fate. With Bai Su Zhen around, Xaio Qing was less volatile but nobody would bet on the fact that the Green Snake wouldn't kill them in an instant if something offended her.

_"Take her to Kim." _Red snapped her fingers and a carp person immediately hopped to it, motioning Michelle to follow her quickly. Red watched the woman walk away from her without a word, seething inside.

"Stay." Red commanded Kim's friends. They nodded dreamily at her and continued lounging, blissfully unaware of their surroundings, not having registered Michelle's arrival nor her leaving. They also didn't notice when Red had wandered away from them, following Michelle.

Meanwhile, Michelle followed the carp-person, her emotions roiling inside her, but outwardly she looked completely calm, the eye in the center of a storm. Something was definitely wrong. She had felt it when Team Possible had left and some of the elders had that... look of accomplishment. Like they had just done something. And she had seen them whispering to each other...

'Those old geezers are always up to no good. Especially my grandmother.' Michelle thought darkly. The old woman's self-satisfied smile when Team Possible had decided to go up to Er Mei rang Michelle's internal alarm. But it was the worried frown when they had split up into two teams that made Michelle believe that something had gone wrong in Grandma Lo's plan. The fact that the old woman had a plan at all was cause for concern.

When Kim and company hadn't come back in a week and Jim and Tim's team had been kidnapped, that was when Michelle acted. While the remainder of She Chun planned Tim and Jim's rescue with Nam Ho's temple, Michelle had slipped away without telling anyone. It was dangerous. The woman who had once been Shego's lover knew that if Red found out that no-one knew she was here, the fox would kill her and Michelle's body would be squirreled away and never found again.

_"Madam,"_ The carp-person gurgled and stood to the side, pointing to the room they had come to. Without hesitating, Michelle pushed the doors open and stepped over the threshold. It took her eyes a while to adjust to the darkness of the room, the windows had been covered by black sheets to block out the light. On the bed, a lump stirred.

"Kim?" Michelle took a step towards the bed, then stopped. She didn't know if it was Kim or not, the fox could be trying to trick her--

"Shego?" Kim's voice, hoarse and scratchy, reached Michelle's ears. Without a second thought, the Asian woman was by the redhead's side. If it were possible, Kim looked even worse than when she had first arrived after she had heard about Shego's body disappearing.

"Kim, it's ah Fong," Michelle spoke soothingly in English. "I've got you. We'll get you out of here--"

Kim pushed Fong away, her eyes casting around the room. "Shego? Shego!"

"She's not here, Kim." Fong tried to grab on to Kim, but the redhead's shouts became more frantic.

"Shego!"

"Calm down, love. I'm here."

The voice was dreadfully familiar and it made Michelle's heart leap to her throat and spin towards the door. There, looking ever so cool, ever so alive, was Shego. Her pale green skin seemed to glow, the light behind her shining in gave her a halo. Her frown was familiar, her angry eyes...

"Why did you have to wake her?" Shego growled. Michelle's hands fell to her side, her legs weren't able to hold her up any more, so she sat down. The feeling of suffocation was overwhelming and the Chinese woman clutched her chest, her lips trembling.

A sob escaped her lips and she shook her head, the first of her tears streaking down her face.

"It... no. No... no." There were no words she could say that could make that feeling go away. She was drowning all over again. She was hallucinating. That must be it.

Shego stalked forward without another word. The way she moved was too... fluid. Shego was usually quiet as death when she moved and she had the silent grace of a master thief. But this was different. It was the careful steps of something... not quite human.

"Not Shego!" Rufus squeaked, hammering the final nail into the coffin. Shego was still dead. This person was an imposter.

"You're. Not. Her." Michelle gritted out, the elation inside her dying to a soul-crushing sorrow, like when they had brought Shego's body back to She Cun. The sorrow though, was quickly burned away by a murderous rage.

"YOU'RE NOT HER!" Michelle screamed, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at the doppelganger. 'Shego' ducked it easily, her yellow eyes narrowed to slits.

Yellow eyes.

"Fox," Michelle spat out. "Change back."

Mrs. Fox shook her head, still in her Shego disguise. "No."

"CHANGE BACK! YOU'RE NOT HER!" Michelle's chest was heaving with emotions, her eyes glittering with hatred. "Change. BACK."

"Shego," Kim's voice had a breathless quality about it that made Michelle cringe. It wasn't Shego--IT WASN'T SHEGO!

"It's not Shego, Kim." Fong rounded on the redhead, but the heroine was gone, her eyes unseeing. Only seeing 'Shego'.

"Shego." Kim sighed again.

"What have you done?" The Asian woman looked at Kim in horror. The redhead had moved to the edge of the bed, closer to the light the door let in. Kim's cheeks and eyes were sunken, each breath she took seemed laboured.

"She is safe here." Red insisted. "She's fine."

"You're killing her." Michelle hissed. "She's dying."

"Humans are so weak." The Shego-copy suddenly said, looking at Kim sadly. "But what I'm trying to do is the right thing--"

"If she stays here, if she stays with you, she'll die!" Michelle shouted, shaking her head with disbelief. These creatures were all crazy! How was this helping Kim? The redhead was obviously wasting away!

"You're stealing her life." Michelle accused. Michelle had been warned, long time ago, that the other-folk could get that power. That was why they were so strong. They could absorb whatever lifeforce of weaker beings around them if they stayed close to the source long enough. And if they got even closer, the effect was even greater. Some otherfolk learned to control that leeching effect. But others, like the fox-people, were hardwired to feed off people. "That's why she's like this, isn't it? You're leeching away her life!"

"I take very little. It keeps her happy." 'Shego' whispered. "She's accepted the fantasy because she needed it. Can you not see? She was already slowly dying since her lover died. Now, I'm helping her."

"How? I fail to see how this is helpful at all!"

"By stopping her from self-destructing. By keeping her out of the way." Shego-copy sighed. "If she goes looking... she will surely die. This is bigger than just She Cun and Er Mei and the snakes. This is beyond them and it will affect EVERYTHING."

"Then just give us back Shego's body." Michelle changed to pleading. "Tell us where she is so we can bury her right. That's all we want."

The Shego-copy shook her head, looking so much like Shego, sounding so much like Shego even Michelle wanted to forget, just for a second, that it wasn't Shego.

"I cannot."

"I command it."

The copy of Shego barked out a laugh. "That is the one thing I do not have to do."

"Bai Su Zhen and Xaio Qing told you not to." Michelle surmised. That was the only reason the fox would ignore a direct order. The Asian woman felt deeply ashamed of her ancestor, right at this moment. And disappointed that Bai Su Zhen and Xaio Qing hadn't changed at all.

"Kim." Michelle turned to the redhead and slapped her cheeks lightly. "Kim, we need you, wake up."

The redhead's gaze was dead, she was somewhere far away...

"I can take care of her."

"Kim, your brothers need you. You have to wake up." Michelle ignored the fox, took the woman by the shoulders and shook her. "That's not Shego. It's a fox."

'Shego' chuckled humourlessly. "You think she doesn't know that?"

Fong recoiled from Kim, looking at the redhead in horror as Kim smiled wearily at Fong, seeing her... but not caring. Hearing everything and ignoring it.

"She wants to stay with Shego. And I can give her Shego and she can pretend." Red, still in the guise of Shego, sat down on the edge of the bed. Kim crawled over to the fox and lay her head in the green-skinned woman's lap. In seconds, Kim had fallen asleep again. "I can take care of her."

"She's dying!"

"She is NOT!" 'Shego' snarled, her voice low so as to not wake Kim up. "She will not. I will not let her. I'll keep her safe and YOU are the one making it worse! I won't let this happen again!"

The source of Red's hostility seemed to come from somewhere else, Michelle was sure of it. The Asian woman tilted her head to the side, studying the fox. "Why are you so angry? And what do you mean by 'again'?"

Red stroked her fingers through Kim's hair, suddenly weary of all this. This can't happen again.

"I will... give you the people outside. Even though they have been fun to play with." The fox offered. She just wanted to be alone with Kim. Then she can concentrate on making Kim better. "Just leave. Please."

Michelle wanted to stay, wanted to grab Kim and run. But the glazed look, the pitiful call for Shego... it repelled her. Disgusted her, even. Shego abhorred weakness. And Michelle saw nothing but weakness in what Kim had become.

'Shego wouldn't have approved.' Michelle looked at Kim, barely able to keep her contempt from showing on her face.

"We'll go." Michelle saw no use in staying right now. She'd consult with her great-aunt and figure out something. The head of She Cun would have to negotiate with this fox after knowing what was happening to Kim. She would have the responsiblity of saving Kim and Fong wouldn't have to deal with any of this.

'It would be better if you had died too.' Fong tried hard to squash those uncharitable thoughts worming through her mind, a product of her unspoken jealousy of Kim Possible usurping her place at Shego's side, of her bitterness at Shego having chosen such a weak replacement for her. But it was so hard when Shego's copy was bent over a comatose Kim, murmuring reassuringly to the redhead. So hard not to hate the redhead for giving up, because Fong wanted to do exactly that...

"_Fong?_" She was greeted by her husband's hoarse voice when she hurried back to where she had left the entranced group. On seeing the Asian woman, Vince stood up on wobbly legs and embraced her in a fierce hug.

"_I was lost, but I heard your voice and I saw you. And now you're here._" He held her, as if afraid the fog would take away his mind again and she was his only anchor. A hand on her arm notified her of Kim's dark-skinned friend, looking at her in quiet gratitude.

"Thanks."

Fong nodded impassively to Monique, afraid to show any emotions. The fox could go back on her word and the Asian woman would be snared in those golden eyes if she wasn't careful. The image of Shego had shaken her badly and she needed to keep up this facade until they left the proximity of the fox.

"Ron!" Rufus had jumped from his temporary perch on Michelle's shoulders to the freckled young man. Ron Stoppable placed a tremulous hand on the pink rodent, his pale face making his freckles stand out even more.

"It was like... we were trapped in our bodies." Ron shivered in revulsion, still feeling his attraction to the fox, like something sweet that had left a sticky residue behind.

"Come on, lets get out of here." Michelle nodded towards the entrance. It was just them now, the carp-people having vanished with Fox's hold on the motley crew.

"Where's Kim?" Ron asked suddenly. Michelle stopped and spun around to look at the blonde man.

"She'll be okay. I have to get all of you out of here first." Michelle lied. She knew Kim wasn't okay. But Monique and Ron nodded, accepting the lie easily because despite the bad things that had happened with Shego, they still believed Kim Possible could handle anything.

And as Michelle lead them through the house, they passed by a set of doors Michelle had rushed past before in her haste to confront the fox.

And the icy woman stopped dead in her tracks, a familiar scent tickling her nose. It was light, extremely faint. But it should've been non-existant after a couple of months. There was only one conclusion she could come to, her nose catching that tang in the air again.

The smell had to have been recent.

Michelle turned towards the door slowly. Shego had been dead for five months. There was no way any hint of her should be in the air. But there it was. Shego left a distinct metallic tinge in the air whenever she lit up. It wasn't dangerous, Shego had explained, when she first got these powers, doctors had tested her powers extensively--well, as extensively as she had let them--and came to that conclusion. The scent would stay in the air of the room and if the room wasn't aired out, it would stay a month or two.

A month or two.

Shego had been dead for five months.

"_Fong,_" Vince placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, wondering why she stopped. The woman held up a hand, hesitant. She didn't want to... but... a wild hope was blooming in her chest.

"What's wrong?" Monique asked, wondering why they had stopped. Michelle pushed the door open gently, and the smell rushed out, stronger.

It was Shego's room. Spartan, but classy. Deep browns, whites and greens made up Shego's room but Fong didn't come in to marvel at the simple beauty of the room. Her eyes were locked on the dark splotches on the sheets of the bed and some casual clothes that belonged to Shego, lying folded on the bed.

Fong approached the bed and scanned over the mess and the article of clothing on the bed. Blood. That was what the stains on the bed were. And Fong could see there were some on Shego's clothes too...

"Oh." Vince had seen the clothing, and now he stood there, stunned by the implications.

Michelle reached out a trembling hand, knowing there was one way to know for sure...

_"Why are you folding your clothes like that?" Fong asked irritably as she did laundry with Shego at her house._

_ "It doesn't leave as much wrinkles," Shego explained, folding the sleeves of her clean catsuit at the shoulders, then rolling it up starting from the legs of her suit. "And it also doesn't damage the fibres used to make my catsuit."_

_ "Okay, your catsuit I understand, but you're doing that to all your other clothes too!" Michelle picked up a rolled-up piece of clothing and shook it out. "This is mine!"_

_ Shego smirked. "I was just gonna borrow it for a little bit..."_

The simple shirt and pants combo had been rolled up, despite the fact that it looked like Shego had worn them to a fight. Michelle slowly spread out the piece of clothing. Shego had said the laundry at Er Mei was done by 'helpers', and she disliked the way they folded her clothes... so the only one who could've folded this piece of clothing like this was Shego.

"Cheung," Michelle felt light-headed as she brought the sleeves of the outfit up for inspection. The cuffs were charred and burnt. As if the wearer's hands had been on fire and the flames had licked at the flammable material of the cotton shirt. That was why Shego wore her catsuits all the time, because they resisted her flames to some degree... but not other clothes. They burned.

Just one more piece of evidence though...

Fong practically ran over to a large dresser that looked like where Shego kept her clothes. Throwing them open, she noticed right away that it seemed quite bare and ransacked, as if someone had gone through it hurriedly and taken much of its contents away.

But there, hanging in the middle of the dresser, was the formal black and green silk cheongsam that they had buried Shego in. And the sleeves of this outfit was charred and burned almost all the way up to the elbows.

"She's alive." Michelle stated simply.

"What?" Ron blinked at Michelle. "Who?"

"Shego." Vince's face had lit up and his eyes were watering.

"What? She can't be. She's dead." Monique stated the fact quite simply. Rufus, however, jumped from Ron's shoulder to look down at the ruined cotton shirt and pants lying on the bed. Though his nose wasn't as good as Tigger's, it was good enough to differentiate between a cadaver and a live human being and quite easy to remember Shego's unique scent.

"Not dead." Rufus looked up at Ron, shaking his head in amazement. "Shego!"

"You sure bout that, buddy? I mean, those could be old clothes--" Ron frowned as Rufus chittered up at him wildly. "Alright, alright. So... what do we do?"

"We get Kim." Fong wiped her eyes, embarassed at the tears that were trying to escape, thankful she had her back turned to these strangers. "And we go find Shego."

Picking up the pieces of evidence, Fong marched out of the room and back to Kim's room where the fox was still sitting, stroking her fingers through the redhead's hair.

"Did I not tell you to leave?" 'Shego' was vexed.

"Shego!" Ron and Monique gasped in amazement.

"Sheg--"

Michelle held up a hand to stop her husband from running to the green-skinned woman. "It's not Shego. It's the fox."

"What? But--" Ron pointed to the fox. "That's Shego!"

"Change back, fox. Show them." Michelle ground out, trying to rein in her temper. The fox narrowed her eyes at them. But after a few seconds, there was... a shimmer, a gradual shifting as the face changed to that of Mrs. Fox.

"Is that all you want?" Red hissed. "If it is, please leave. You are trying my last nerve."

"We're taking her with us."

"That was not part of the deal."

"You forgot to mention this." Fong held up Shego's clothing. The fox couldn't help flinching as she realized what they had. But she kept her expression still, even when Fong threw the articles of clothing in her face.

"She's alive. She fired up wearing normal clothing." Michelle looked at Kim. "I know you can hear me, Kim Possible. Get up. We have to get her. I don't know what she's playing at and I'm sure there were more people in on this but we have to--"

"No."

Her whispered answer hit everyone like a sledgehammer. Kim's tired green eyes stayed glued on Mrs. Fox's face. "Shego."

Immediately, the fox spirit obeyed, her face smoothing over to Shego's pale green skin and familiar features.

"Get up." Fong hissed, her temper frayed, unnerved again by Shego's face. Felt a wave of jealousy surge up when 'Shego' buried her fingers in Kim's hair and smiled softly at the heroine.

"But Kim," Ron tried now, his features pleading. "Shego might need our help. What if she's in trouble?"

"Shego is dead." Kim shook her head. "I'm... tired, Ron. I can't do this anymore. I don't wanna do this anymore."

"Well, don't worry, we'll just get out of here and--"

"I mean the hero thing." Kim sighed. "I... I'm out of the game."

"Say what, girl?" Monique's mouth was hanging open in disbelief. This was Kim Possible! The girl who staunchly believed that she could do anything!

"But, Kim--"

"Just leave me alone, alright?" Kim screamed. Turning around so her face was buried in the front of Mrs. Fox's shirt, she started crying again.

"Forget her." Michelle spat out. "Lets go. We can't stay up here. We don't have time to waste. Your other team has been captured by the Hunters, so we have to go get them as soon as possible. Their captors have been making demands and there's a time limit."

"But--"

"You can stay here and be useless, or come with me and we can possibly save your friends." Fong turned on her heels and stalked away. "Your call."

"Michelle--" Vince headed after his wife, then turned around to shrug helplessly. "If Kim doesn't want to be helped then she's no help right now. If what my wife says is true and the Hunters have the other team, they might be in danger."

Monique and Ron exchanged looks, then turned to look at Kim worriedly.

"Go." The fox nodded after Vince and Michelle, who had disappeared out the door. "I won't hurt her."

"You better not, lady. We'll be back." Monique muttered, pulling on Ron's arm. They did have more important things to do. Vince's words had made the blood in her veins turn to ice. If the twins were hurt...

"But--" Ron was dragged out the door, flabbergasted by Kim's... lackluster attitude. But he didn't put up much of a struggle and soon, there was nobody in the room again, except for Mrs. Fox and Kim Possible.

"It's just you and me now, Shego." Kim looked up at the fox wistfully.

Mrs. Fox sighed. "You... know I'm not Shego."

"But this is as close as I'll ever get." Kim closed her eyes, exhausted.

"They said she's alive. Do you believe them?"

"I want to." Kim replied without opening her eyes. "But... I don't want to be disappointed. If I got my hopes up only for her to die all over again... I just can't do it. I would die."

Mrs. Fox knew she shouldn't. She would be directly going against what the snakes had commanded her to do but she had to do this. "But you're dying anyways... what's wrong with a little bit of hope?"

It would happen all over again, it seemed. Mrs. Fox sighed, reaching behind her to undo the clasp of her necklace. As soon as the necklace came off, the fox was overcome with a feeling of nakedness, of loss.

"My--beloved left this behind." Yinchun's mother sighed wistfully and slipped it around Kim's neck. The redhead was about to protest when she was suddenly rocked with a vision of Shego, sitting with the Snakes of Er Mei and Red's daughter, talking calmly to them. The woman's face was like it was before her transformation... human. Smooth. Unblemished. Her eyes, the colour of emeralds that Kim remembered.

"She's..." Kim struggled to a sitting position, looking at Shego's double with barely concealed hope. But Kim was certain, absolutely certain that the Shego in her mind's eye was real. Alive. At this time, right now. And the slight feeling of something... pulling at her... she was certain it was pulling her towards where she needed to go.

"Your heart's desire." The fox whispered, banishing her illusion, Shego's face melting away to the face of Yinchun's mother. The fox demon smiled at Kim, placed a hand over the glowing red stone. This was the right thing to do.

"This will protect you. This will help you and lead you to exactly what you need, your heart's desire." Red sighed, helping Kim up on unsteady feet. "Go."

"Thank you. I--" Kim paused, then reached up, tenderly taking the fox's face in her hands and placing a light kiss on those lips. "Thank you."

The fox watched Kim stumble out and sighed, flopping backwards onto the bed.

"I only wanted you to be happy, Kim." The fox looked up at the ceiling, feeling like a part of her had been ripped away, her neck surprisingly light now that the stone she had worn since she had first obtained it had a new owner. Red had done the right thing. So... was her sister happy back then? Did her sister find happiness?

Kim, meanwhile, had pelted out of the home she had lived in for several years with Shego, stumbled to the steps leading down Er Mei until she saw her friends ahead.

"Ron!" Kim called hoarsely. The blonde man whipped his head around, Kim could see his eyes widening at the sight of her. Then he took the steps two at a time to catch Kim as she half fell, half threw herself at Ron. The sidekick caught the redhead in a crushing hug, too shaken by everything that had happened to do anything else but this.

"Girl," Monique sighed wearily and cracked a smile. "Glad you could join us."

* * *

_ Red stroked her fingers through her sister's hair, hoping to sooth Yinchun's spirits. Red periodically wiped away Yinchun's tears, gently, full of wonder. What was this bitterness that ran from her older sister's eyes? It... scared her._

_ The Empress of the East Palace, Wu Yen, had died earlier that week. Everyone was still in mourning. Yinchun had spent every waking hour and every second of moonlight standing silent vigil over the Empress' body. Running her fingers over the dead woman's face, over and over again._

_ Wu Yen had died, her face unblemished. Loving Yinchun to the very last second. They had only spent two seasons together. And during that time, Wu Yen's health had started failing dramatically, even though Yinchun had stayed by the human's side and tended to her with the utmost care and attention._

_ Yinchun had been inconsolable until Red had taken it upon herself to lure her sister away with sweet words and the ghost of her lover._

_ Most times, in her grief, Yinchun was fooled or she allowed herself to be fooled. But other times, she looked at Red, past her disguise, disgusted with herself, with Red. With everything. _

_ But today, Yinchun seemed better than she had ever been. Today, the elder fox managed to laugh and dripped this salty liquid from her eyes only the few times that the feelings overwhelmed her. Red had thought her sister was getting better, had hoped desperately that her sister was getting better. And she seemed to be! Why, Red didn't even have to use the dead Wu Yen's face that day to pacify her sister!_

_ The next day, Yinchun went with the Emperor and a large procession of mourners to bury Wu Yen in a splendid tomb, one of many abandoned tombs the Emperor had had prepared for himself, but cast aside at the glimpse of more marvellous structures to house his earthly remains when he passed. This tomb was the most recently abandonned and obscenely lavish. With much ceremony, they had entombed the Empress of the East Palace, then the procession had left._

_ Red had though maybe that would be the end of that, and her sister would forget._

_ The day after the burial, The Empress of the West Palace, Yinchun, disappeared and was never seen nor heard from again._

_ Only one person knew where she could have gone and Red had to sneak past the guards that guarded the tomb of the recently buried Empress and the workers who were toiling to hide it under a mountain, to enter the inner chambers of Wu Yen's burial site._

_ With a wave of her hand, the stone coffin lid that had taken fifty people to put in place, slid gently to the side to bare its treasures to Red. There, lying next to the dead Wu Yen, was the bloodied body of a small red fox holding a glowing red stone in its mouth._

_ Of all the gold and silver ornaments there, surpassing that of even the precious gems, metals and stones, silks, pearls and scented woods that decorated the tomb; Red saw nothing more precious, more priceless a gift than what Yinchun offered Wu Yen._

_ Yinchun had cut out her own heart and offered her life as a final gift to her lover._

_ Taking the stone delicately from the fox's mouth, Red was struck by the feeling of... nothing. She knew what this stone was. It had whispered it's duties in her mind. To find the owner of this tiny fox's heart, their heart's desire._

_ If Red concentrated harder, the stone gave her memories of the past, of red fur, of warmth, of safety in the arms of her beloved. It knew her heart's desire but could not bring her to it. The best the little magic heart could do, was to summon up the image of a small dead fox in her mind's eye, lying next to the lifeless body of a beautiful Empress._

_

* * *

_

Endnote: so that was confusing, wasn't it? Just to clear some things up, there are TWO Yinchuns: One is Red's daughter, the other is Red's older sister. Red's daughter is named after Red's older sister. I know its getting a bit confusing with all the names, but I feel like fleshing out the stories of some of the mythical beings that'll appear might be kinda alright. Tell me what you think :D

By the way, there will be an alternate chapter posted in adultfanfiction some time later, that gives a little bit more backstory to Red (as if she didn't get enough time as is in this chapter...) Head on over there if you wanna read it!


	8. Calm before the Storm

Calm before the Storm

A Kim Possible Fanfiction

immo

Author's note: Before I head off to Korea for some fun times, I guess you guys deserve a little something something. :P I wanna say to all of you with the reviews and comments--disgruntled grumblings included--were much appreciated. They kicked me back on to the writing block and ideas have been flowing through my head lately. Its all a matter of trying to write it all down.

And I truly truly mean it to all of you who have taken the time to write to me. Thank you so much. I'm not much for calling people out, but y'all know who you are :) One of these days, I'll get around to thanking you all personally, promise. :D

* * *

"Good boy," Lang said quietly. The dog sat there, panting happily, waiting for the man. Lang had left the encampment, unsure of what to do, with a ragtag group of hunters with him, all following him, trusting that he would do the right thing.

He had had several violent encounters with the monks. They had been righteously furious about the Hunters killing two of their people. At the last encounter, Lang had managed to get a monk aside and pres a note into the monk's hand before retreating.

What his father was doing... Lang didn't agree with. He had watched stoicly as his father had beat Tim until his back was raw, watched Tim's twin brother scream until his voice broke. He had watched all of this without batting an eye, but his insides twisted with horror at what was happening.

A muddy dog, indistinguishable from the various strays that wandered through the village, had arrived at the village shortly after the altercation with a note for him that said simply 'follow me'. Lang had slowly gathered a small group of his most trusted men and women, then had left at night under the pretense of patrolling.

And now, here they were, following the german shepherd to god knows where--

"_Hands up where we can see them._" A voice called out to them from the darkness of the woods. The dog had finally stopped in a large clearing, an hour after leading them out of the village. And from nothingness, several monks and a blue man stepped out of the trees. The dog that had lead them here left their side to stand beside the cerulean man.

"_Heen's son._" One of the monks hissed. "_Tell us why we should trust you?_"

"_I don't want this._" Lang motioned for his people to stand down as they shifted restlessly, skittish and uncomfortable in the knowledge that they were probably surrounded on all sides. If a fight did break out, they would most likely suffer heavy losses.

"_I didn't know what my father was doing, but that's no excuse. I want... I need your help. If I were to bring Tim out... well, the whole village would string us up._" Lang had no illusions about what he was doing. He was betraying his people and he felt slightly sick at the thought. But... what he was doing was right.

The woman at his side, one of his best friends since he was young, put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"_WE... we're all here to help. We're sorry for what has happened and we want to make it right._" Ka Yi spoke up, her hand leaving Lang's shoulder as she spoke up. "_We hunt the other-folk. But we don't hurt humans._"

A murmur rose up around them. "_What has happened to Jim and Tim?_"

"Jim and Tim?" The blue man caught the names. "What happened to the boys?"

"My father," Lang's voice was tight with shame, as he answered the man in English. "My father had him flogged when he couldn't answer any of the questions we had."

"What questions?" Dr. Lipsky wrung his hands in agitation.

"Is it not obvious?" Another man stepped out of the darkness and Lang and the rest of the hunters immediately stiffened, fighting against their instincts to attack this man. The feel of his 'otherness' set their teeth on edge.

"They want to know where I am. And how to get me back." Haoxian's voice was a low growl, his anger apparent. "And what do you want? Me in chains, dragged back to your village? Put back in my prison?"

Lang opened his mouth to speak, but Haoxian wasn't done.

"Because if that's what it takes, I will do it."

"What?" Almost everybody looked at the young man in shock. He shrugged.

"Why are you surprised?"

"_You've--you've been wanting to escape since forever!_" Lang blurted out, reverting to Chinese in his shock.

"And I will do it again. But my freedom is not worth Tim's suffering." Haoxian asserted strongly, though his body shoke at the thought.

"What's this one person worth to you?" Lang asked, amazed. "You're just an animal--"

"He was the first one in a long time who did not treat me as such." Haoxian whispered. With Tim's simple kindness, his ready trust, the Possible twin had given him back the dignity that had been robbed from him when he had been put away. Treated like an animal, beaten to the ground and dragged back whenever he ran away. Before, he had been afraid to go back, terrorized at the very thought of it. But now, Haoxian knew he could stand it, he wouldn't lose his mind in his prison.

And he could always escape again.

"So?" Haoxian straightened up. "Do we have a deal?"

"We didn't come to negotiate taking you back with us." Lang said, after a moment's pause. "We came to switch sides. We'll give you back Tim and Jim in exchange for taking us in."

Haoxian visibly relaxed, as another person stepped out of the shadows now. This person had an uncanny resemblance to the twins, maybe something about the shape of her eyes. Her red hair was a dead giveaway, though. Lang had remembered hearing that she had been up in Er Mei while the green snake's disciple had been around. Two other people appeared beside her; a freckled young man with a face that seemed open and kind and a young dark-skinned woman, her eyes darting uneasily from the redhead to Lang and his group.

"You must be... Kim Possible."

"I am." Kim's eyes were hard, shining like small semi-precious stones. She looked emancipated and ready to keel over from sheer exhaustion, but the set of her jaws told him she wouldn't be budged. "How are you going to bring my brothers back to us?"

"We'll sneak them out tomorrow night. Another patrol. This time, we'll hide Tim and Jim in the group, in our clothing."

"Can we trust you?" The dark-skinned woman asked, her worry apparent in the way she was wringing her hands. "How do we know you're not just setting us up for something?"

"You don't." Lang answered truthfully. "And its not likely, since we're bringing them out to you. Once we do that, we're marked by our own people. They'll come gunning for us just as hard as they've been gunning for that creature with you. It's all in your hands. We're putting our necks out."

"His name is Haoxian." Dr. Lipsky snapped, not liking how they kept referring to the Asian man as a 'creature' or an animal.

Kim stared at the men and women in the clearing, studying them carefully. The she nodded and motioned to the dog who had lead them to the clearing. "Take Tigger with you."

"He'll help out. We can't get too close to your encampment." Dr. Lipsky added eagerly, kneeling down on one knee to rub the top of the german shepherd's head affectionately. "He's a good boy, aren't you? You're such a good boy!"

"_I don't think a dog's going to be much help, ah Lang._" Ka Yi whispered to her friend. "_It just might get in the way._"

"_I don't think she's asking us._" Lang said carefully. "_Anyways, what harm can he do? He's just a dog. And dirty as hell. He'll blend in with the rest of the strays we have at home._"

The word 'home' made Lang wince a bit.

"Why are you doing this?" The freckled man next to Kim Possible asked quietly, but his voice was heard in the silence. "Why are you helping us?"

Lang took a deep breath, then exhaled it shakily. "I... am betraying my clan. I understand that completely and so does everyone here. But... we want to do what's right. Even if it means giving up our ways, we have to do what's right. What we're doing now is wrong and no excuses I could make for our leader--my father, could make it right. So we're trying to fix it."

* * *

"Do you trust them?"

Kim had been sitting in the room the monks had given her, legs drawn up to her chest and eyes closed, meditating. Ron's voice shook her out of her reverie and she gave him a small smile before motioning for him to take a seat at the lone table in the room and stood up to join him there.

"I don't trust them at all." Kim sat down across from Ron and answered simply, shrugging. "That's why I needed Tigger to go with them. If anything seemed odd, he could defend himself and he'd be able to come back and tell us quickly. Jim's dog is about as smart as Rufus. Maybe smarter."

"Hey!" The hairless molerat popped out of Ron's shirt pocket, looking scandalized. The hairless rodent placed a paw on his chest, patting himself while chittering angrily. "Smart-er! Smarter!"

Kim let herself smile at the indignant molerat. "Sorry, Rufus. My mistake. You're definitely smarter than Tigger."

"Hmph." Rufus crossed his arms, still ruffled but calming quickly.

"Guess we'll find out tonight, huh?" Ron rubbed his arms subconsciously, feeling a bit nervous. They would rendezvous at the same clearing they met at last night. What if something went wrong?

"Don't think about it, Ron. Lets talk about something else. How's Nam Ho?" Kim asked after the abbot. They had come down from the mountain to a pretty big mess. The hunters, a clan made up of ex-monks that had disagreed long ago with the tolerant approach to the other-folk, had attacked the abbot and his five accompanying monks at a simple meeting. Two of the monks had died, but Nam Ho and his remaining companions had escaped with heavy injuries.

"He's resting." Ron shrugged, uncomfortable with this topic. Sure, he got the occassional bruises and scratches from missions. But having seen the abbot lying there comatose on his bed, attended to by those monks who had medical knowledge... wrapped up in bandages, breathing shallowly...

"Its just a chest wound..." Ron knew he was playing in a different ball game. People were dying. And there was nothing Team Possible could do about this. Damn it, part of Team Possible was being held hostage by the crazies!

"And Haoxian?" Kim closed her eyes, concentrating on the red gem hanging, hidden underneath her shirt. Things were looking grim, but just the thought that she could possibly do all of this, get everything together... she'd be able to find Shego.

"He's studying in the library with the other monks." Ron rubbed the back of his neck. "He's been trying to look for an answer to a question that Tim asked him before he was kidnapped."

Kim perked up. "What was it?"

"Uh, 'how did they catch your father'?" Ron scrunched up his face, remembering Haoxian's excitement and some of the research-type monks scouring the shelves upon shelves of books, scrolls and parchment in their huge library for the answer. "Um, Kim, Michelle's village wanted to--"

"I don't want to talk to them." Kim felt anger flare deep inside her chest. The matriarch of the village, Grandma Lo, shrugged when Michelle and Kim confronted her with what they had found out. She had been told to, she had explained. The elders all had known, but they didn't say anything. And they hadn't wanted Kim back until it seemed that she might have accidentally found out because Shego and her companions' activities would make the news.

Then Mrs. Fox--Red--had been ordered to keep Kim around until things had been resolved. Kim had been played for a fool. They all had. Those old cronies, those elders of She Cun were as devious as snakes. If it weren't for the fox's change of mind, Kim would've still been up there, in a pleasant haze, unwilling to leave.

Vince, Michelle and their baby had moved out of the village too, not happy about being an unknowing participant in the whole scheme. Michelle was also, for reasons Kim sort of understood, a little bit pissed off at her.

"Okay." Ron saw the set of Kim's jaw and wisely left it alone. It was the was the same old, anyways. They wanted to reason with Kim and told her to just stay out of the way. That they would take care of her, take care of everything. They wanted her safe.

Ron did too, but seeing Kim actually asserting herself and being proactive was better than seeing her half-dead with grief over Shego.

Shego...

"Kim..." Ron cleared his throat, not knowing where to start. "Um... You and Shego were... you two were kinda close, huh?"

Kim stiffened at the question. She had wondered if they would ask. Everybody retained their memories of their time in Red's thrall, so she had hoped they would pass it off as the magic affecting Kim.

"Like," Ron cleared his throat, embarassed. "You two were REALLY close, weren't you? Or is it like, I dunno, am I--you know... I mean, you two--"

"We were." Kim's voice was so low, Ron almost didn't catch it. "We were... she was. I..."

"It's fine." Ron blurted out, wanting to reassure his friend, even though he wanted to scream out that Shego equals FLAMING HANDS OF DEATH, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?

"She's my everything." Kim lowered her head, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Rufus gasped both paws at the sides of his head in shock at the revelation.

Ron slumped down, hearing this made him sort of relieved that nothing really bad happened to her when she had been missing. But a part of him was... angry. So damn angry.

"So. Um. Let me get this right." Ron said carefully. Slowly. Trying to get a grip on his emotions. "You were up there... with Shego ALL this time and you guys were just..."

Ron paused, trying to find the right words. And they came out horribly stilted and... just horrible. "Fucking each other?"

"It wasn't like that--"

"No, it was probably all Shego's fault." Ron tried to sort out his jumbled feelings. "It's, you know, coping mechanism. You were a hostage, you didn't have a choice, right? And she was probably the only one you saw day in and day out and you're NOT a lesbian because you dated me before and you were all Josh Mankey fangirl before so--"

"It..." For Kim, this was the first time she had to think about this. Been able to think beyond her haze of grief and depression. Think about this beyond Shego-and-Kim and remember that there was more than just Shego-and-Kim. There was Shego-and-Kim-and-the-world. It shocked her a bit. So. That's what pulling herself out of the funk she was in would do. She would have to face everything. "It's not like that."

"Did she force you?" Ron placed a hand over Kim's in a gesture that was meant to be supportive, but Kim recoiled at the touch and the question.

"No!" Kim protested, couldn't keep the next words from pouring out of her mouth. "She loved me!"

There was silence as the two friends looked at each other. Rufus looked between the two humans nervously, then decided to retreat into Ron's pocket where it was safe. Tension filled the air and after a long silence, Ron started speaking again, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Did you try to escape?" Ron's eyes were narrowed as a thought occurred to him. "Did you know we were nearby looking for you?"

The guilt that momentarily flashed across Kim's face made Ron breath out a breath he didn't know he had been holding in. He had always wondered... Kim was damn resourceful. How could she had been kept in one place for YEARS? He was certain even a state-of-the-art holding facility wouldn't keep her for long. And She Cun and Er Mei had been no state-of-the-art big house.

"Kim, what happened?" Ron kept his voice soft, knowing if he didn't he'd be yelling at her, screaming at her. "You haven't told ANYONE since you came back what really happened. But you know, I think you should really tell the people who love you. You put us through hell, Kim."

With that, Ron stood up and left the room, unable to stay a second longer. He would do something he'd regret later if he stayed. And Kim, recognizing Ron's need to have his distance was left in her room to think alone.

* * *

Michelle balanced baby David on her hip as she entered the monastery's library. At least twenty monks, plus Haoxian, were wandering along the shelves, scouring them for the answer to the question Tim had asked.

How DID they catch Haoxian's father?

From what Haoxian had recalled of his father, they had immediately been able to clear up some of the fog. Haoxian's father had to be someone important, someone powerful for him to be imprisoned and not killed. The hunters were merciless; if they could've killed Haoxian's father, they would've. And so the researchers in the library looked at the records the monastery had on the hunters and their activities as far back as they could.

"_What did they find out?_" Michelle asked curiously. Haoxian had finally come to a stop and was sitting with his back against one of the shelves, his long-ish hair tied into a short ponytail. He looked up at the woman with a beatific smile that momentarily blinded Michelle.

"_Well, I still do not remember a thing,_" Haoxian said calmly, holding out a hand to Michelle's gurgling baby who squealed with joy at the attention being given to him. "_But apparently, if my memory is not wrong and I am not really Haoxian..._"

The man's voice betrayed his disbelief. "_But if I am, then by what we have found out... Some old texts we found had a brief mention of me and we were pretty sure this had to do with me since they mentioned my father being imprisoned. The information we found, it said I was 'One of the Dragon's sons, one of the sons of the Fifth, named Haoxian'. I also have... eight other siblings._"

"_Do they mean like how the Chinese people like calling themselves 'Descendants of the Dragon'? The Fifth?_" Michelle furrowed her brow. "_The fifth what?_"

"_We do not know._" Haoxian shrugged, then let out a frustrated sound. "_There are gaps in what I know. Large gaps. I am aware of myself, of my power. Of needing to save my father. But that is all I remember._"

"_I'm sure you'll find something soon._" Michelle smiled apologetically at Haoxian as her son caught a hold of the handsome young man's sleeve. "_Sorry._"

"_It is quite alright. Your son is adorable._" Haoxian smiled faintly, then his features darkened. "_I am quite sorry to have troubled all of you, though. Truly. I really did not want Tim or Jim to be hurt by this. I should not be in this library. I should be doing something to rescue Tim and Jim!_"

Michelle looked down at the other-folk, seeing the remorse on his face and felt surprised. "_Why do you care?_"

Haoxian shot Michelle an irritated look. "_Why does it shock you people so much that I have the capacity to care for one of your race? Of course I care! Should not kindness be returned in kind? But Tim and Jim are in danger now, and it is my fault. Tim is hurt and that is my fault also._"

Michelle fell silent at Haoxian's berating of himself. The young man did look truly distraught over this.

"_It is not your fault. Your kind has never been accepting of us._" Haoxian shrugged and smiled wryly at the woman's silence at his outburst and the troubled look on her face. "_I am not surprised that that is one thing I remember. Humans are not very accepting._"

Michelle sat beside Haoxian, letting the silence stretch for a time in between them as David wobbled up to his feet, using his mother's hands to help him. The baby boy drooled happily at his accomplishment.

"_My ancestor was a giant demon white snake. And for as long as I've known, a green snake has been having frequent meetings with our village's elders to make sure we were provided for._" Michelle said matter-of-factly after the silence had stretched for longer than comfortable and Haoxian was considering excusing himself from her company. "_I'm pretty accepting. I just don't really trust in people. So it's not 'your kind' I have a problem with. It's everyone._"

"_Huh._" Haoxian gave Michelle a playful smile, recognizing this was her way of apologizing. "_So...?_"

"_I'm just a bitch._" Michelle supplied, smiled self-deprecatingly.

"_Ah._" Haoxian chuckled.

"_Sir!_" A few of the monks came running, clutching a roll of ancient bamboo strips, bound together as a scroll. The scroll looked to be falling apart. Haoxian and Michelle immediately stood up, their agitation alarmed them and the obvious excitement on the monks' faces made them hope that something important had been found. They all clambered over each other to speak until finally Haoxian had to hold his hand out for silence.

"_Just let him read it!_" One of the monks said excitedly, pushing his friend with the scroll forward. The suggestion was taken and the molding bamboo scroll was thrust into Haoxian's hands. The three of them stood there eagerly, waiting for Haoxian to read it.

"_Huh._" Haoxian raised an eyebrow at the three monks, then cast a glance over at Michelle before offering the monks a smile. "_Thank you._"

Opening the scroll, his face immediately darkened as he read the words aloud on the scroll, the smile dropping from his noble face.

_...eight brothers locked the Fifth in his prison. Then they themselves were locked away and had their mind stripped from them. This wasn't an easy task, but once we had them locked up, the keys were scattered to the four corners of the world. Only one of the keys was kept close by, and that belonged to the one named Haoxian. Because of this, Haoxian would be able to escape periodically..._

"_It's a record from someone in the hunters' clan!_" The monk, either not aware or not caring that Haoxian's face was twisting into one of pained disbelief.

"_It... it can not be real--_"

"_Oh, it is! Look, here it mentions your eight brothers, something the other scroll mentioned. And if that other scroll was right, this one might be too. And also, the type of characters and the style of writing used, all correspond to the time that we estimated you and your family were locked away!_" Another monk piped up. "_We found this hidden between two shelves! It seemed like it fell from the top and lodged itself somewhere mid-point. Course, its in bad condition and that was all we could salvage, but better than nothing, right?_"

"_We did this?_" The anguish in Haoxian's voice finally managed to get through to the monks and they quieted down. "_**We**__ put our father in his cage? This is the answer?_"

Michelle put a calming hand on the man's shoulder. David, seeing his mother doing that, did the same thing.

"Bababababa." David gurgled, patting Haoxian's shoulder with baby enthusiasm. Haoxian chuckled wearily, handing the scroll back to the monks. He was at a loss. What was he going to do?

"_Find the remains of the scroll. There must be some pieces lying around._" Michelle ordered. The monks hopped to it, uncomfortable with how upset Haoxian seemed. "_Come on, I think you need some air._"

Haoxian nodded, letting Michelle lead her out of the library. They walked on silently, away from the building. Michelle kept quiet, knowing that this being needed to gather his thoughts together and slowed down so that Haoxian was leading the way. Finally, the three of them ended up in the large courtyard where Michelle had left Vince before, sparring with a few monks.

"_Hey!_" Vince spared them a glance, almost not quick enough to deflect a few blows from his opponents. "_Done with the book stuff?_"

"_My husband never was the book-y kind._" Michelle leaned over to Haoxian and joked, wanting to bring up the young man's spirits.

"_What do I do now?_" Haoxian looked out into the courtyard, a bleak expression on his face. "_I... if I put my father in his prison, should I let him out? Despite what I feel?_"

"_We don't know what went down._" Michelle tried to reassure the young man. "_The other monks will look around for more clues. But follow your gut feeling. Everytime you've escaped, that's all you can concentrate on. So it must be something you know you should do. But we'll make sure, first._"

"_So basically, we are back at square one and have nothing to show for almost a whole day of inhaling the dust in the library._" Haoxian let out a humourless chuckle.

"_We know that the reason why you're out is that the key is close by. So we now know we need keys to get your brothers out._" Michelle pointed out. "_Do you know... do you know what your key looks like?_"

"_It... huh._" Haoxian turned to Michelle and smirked at her. "_You are quite smart for a human._"

"_And you shouldn't colour us all with the same brush._" Michelle held out her baby to Haoxian. "_Here. Get to know David. His Chinese name's Ga Ming. He's a pretty good representative of our species._"

"Ah babababa! Blurbubburbbrrr..." Baby David gurgled happily as Haoxian took the baby carefully. In thanks, the baby stuck out his hands and started patting Haoxian's face in delight.

"_He is unbelievably adorable._" Haoxian exclaimed, the baby's antics managing to elicit a real laugh out of the man. Michelle watched smugly as her son managed to wrap another person around his little finger.

* * *

end note: And indeed, calm before a storm. Kinda boring, but lets get to some good stuff next chapter, right? :D


	9. War

War

A Kim Possible Fanfiction

immo

Author's note: Started a new job, so that's taking up a lot of my time. Here's WAR for all of you out there :D It's a bit boring, but it moves the story along.

* * *

"Okay, try again." Dr. Lipsky said excitedly.

"_How long do I have to keep doing this?_" Abbot Ho Nam asked in Chinese. Except, through the translator Dr. Lipsky had set up, it translated Ho Nam's Chinese into English, perfectly. Having nothing to do, Ho Nam, with the help of Wade had set up a translator that they all needed. Wade provided the programming while Dr. Lipsky set up the hardware. Between the two of them, it had taken less than a couple of hours to do. And they had the perfect volunteer for the job since Abbot Ho Nam was currently incapacitated and bored enough to go through the tests with them. The Abbot was nowhere near 100% yet, but the translating work required very little from its volunteer.

"See, the hardware can filter through the accents people have, but I was hoping we could speed up the translating a bit. There's still a bit of a lag." Dr. Lipsky spoke to Wade through the Kimmunicator. After leaving She Cun, all their communications devices had come back on line, meaning Wade was back in touch. Right now the blue scientist and the young genius weren't needed--they had gone over Kim's plan beforehand and were now just waiting for the time to implement it--so they decided to keep busy to keep their minds off their captive friends.

"Their dialect is really difficult to map," Wade explained, typing away furiously at his computer. "I'm talking to one of my friends, she's a linguist specializing in Asian languages, and she's working as fast as she could to help me with this."

"Okay, well," Dr. Lipsky looked at Ho Nam kindly. "We can take a break now. Kick up your feet. Or, maybe not. Take it easy... yo."

"Alright." Ho Nam sighed and relaxed a bit, groaning as his stitches pulled at his slightest movements. "Ow."

Ho Nam had escaped with a deep chest wound that effectively took him completely out of action. Though still bedridden and in no condition to get up and start doing anything strenuous like walking, he was still antsy. Sitting on the sidelines wasn't what he was used to doing, so he had volunteered to help Dr. Lipsky and Wade with their translator testing.

"Do you want some choco-moo-moo?" Dr. Lipsky tried to be helpful. "I can whip some up in no time--"

"Thank you, but I can barely manage water." Ho Nam smiled tiredly. "My stomach is not agreeing with me."

Dr. Lipsky nodded, looking around the abbot's room curiously. It was pretty spartan, just the canopied bed, an ornate table with matching chairs, and various decorations. One in particular caught the cerulean man's attention.

"Hey, that's a pretty nice sword." Dr. Lipsky was no weapons' specialist, but the sword hanging near Nam Ho's bed was indeed, quite nice. The blade was hidden in a sheath that seemed like it had been lovingly tooled over; a work of a master. Dragons danced all along the burnished bronze and wood sheath, their scales somehow standing out green, red-clawed and white-eyed. The hilt was made of wood, a knife cutting grooves for a better grip, grooves that circled upwards towards the bronze pommel that had what suspiciously looked like a large, dusty ruby embedded in the bronze. The guard was also loving manufactured from bronze, molded and shaped into a bat with its wings spread out to block any attack from loping off fingers.

"Its been in the monastary forever." Abbot Nam Ho nodded at the weapon. "But don't touch it. It's ancient. How do you Americans say it... 'you break it you buy it'?"

"Ah, wouldn't want to do that." Dr. Lipsky chuckled nervously.

Nam Ho nodded, now a little bit uncomfortable with an outsider seeing the weapon. His master had told him, when he took on the abbot's responsibilities, that the weapon could be used to obliterate the wielder's enemies, powerful enough to level armies; and for that reason, it was placed with the Abbot of the monastary at all times. Previous attempts at stealing things from the monastary had lead to a wily abbot of the past to put the sword in plain sight. Things were easily hidden in plain sight, the abbot had wisely thought long time ago. As the sword was still in the monastary's possession, that plan had worked out QUITE well.

'Do not ever unsheath the sword, unless you have no other choice. There are consequences to using this sword, or at least that's what MY master told me.' Nam Ho remembered his master telling him this quite seriously. 'You MUST remember to warn your successor about this sword. If you remember nothing else, this you must tell the next abbot of Fa Hai's monastary this. It is a powerful artifact.'

"So are you going to work on the speech part of the translator?" Abbot Nam Ho asked to get them off the topic of the sword. "It's not fair if your people can understand what my people are saying, yet we can't understand you."

"We're working on it." Wade's tinny voice came from the Kimmunicator. "Translating is just input for us, working on the output might take a while cuz we're missing a few parts--"

"Soon as I get them, I can wire it up and Wade--"

"--is working out the bugs as we speak." Thoughout the testing session, the sound of Wade's fingers flying over his keyboard hadn't stopped.

"What's everyone else doing right now?" Nam Ho asked curiously.

"Practising their kung-fu!" Dr. Lipsky made some chopping 'kung-fu' gestures with his hands, then continued tinkering with his translater. He paused a moment to pat Nam Ho's arm awkwardly. "You should rest, don't worry so much! We have it under control."

"There's no relaxing." The abbot chuckled as a knock on the door heralded one of his messengers. As they headed towards the bedridden abbot, Dr. Lipsky spread out his arms to block their way.

"NO!" The former-mad scientist said sternly, while putting the earpiece of the translator in his ear. "He's wounded, he's resting and there has GOT to be some one else for you to--I said, NO!"

The young monk, who had been trying to side-step the blue scientist, but in failing so, let out a sigh.

"_Please move! I have to update the abbot on the situation!_" The monk's Chinese came out in perfect English to Drakken and when the scientist heard the translator working, he whooped and jumped in the air in excitement.

"_These foreigners are crazy!_" The young monk backed off when Dr. Lipsky started to do a little dance of triumph.

"Are you getting this?" The good doctor turned to the Kimmunicator excitedly. "Wade, the lag is BARELY noticeable! Well-done!"

"Barely, but not quite." Wade typed away, a tiny smirk of triumph on his lips. "I'm a bit new at this, but I'm getting the hang of it. Writing a translating programme isn't that hard, I'll just get rid of some fluff to make sure we have no lag at all--"

"You do that," Dr. Lipsky nodded, still blocking the monk's attempts to get to the abbot, to Nam Ho's amusement. Finally, the blue scientist help out his hands in a 'stop' motion.

"Kim. Possible." Dr. Lipsky pointed out the door. "Do you understand? Go talk to Kim Possible--Wade, we have to get the translater working, input AND output--Hey! I said go report to Kim Possible!"

Nam Ho chuckled, then grimaced at the pulling sensation in his chest. Dr. Lipsky was right, though. Nam Ho might be conscious, but it would be better to let someone else be in charge for a bit.

"_My friend,_" Nam Ho addressed the messenger, who bowed quickly at hearing the abbot talking to him. "_Report to Ms. Kim Possible. She'll lead this mission. But everything else, please get some of the elder brothers to look after._"

"I'm surprised you passed on the responsibility to Kim," Wade said, having heard everything in Chinese and understanding it with the help of the Chinese-to-English translators. "I mean, Kim can do anything, but she's been a bit... off, you know?"

"I understand." The abbot nodded. "She's been distracted. But this should focus her, plus, I don't think she will allow us to keep her away from the action. She seems to have gained... a new sense of purpose. Something has changed about her since she came back from Er Mei."

* * *

Lang sat outside with his mother, stripping off the bands of cloth he had tied to his clubs for grip and re-binding them again. He would have to be prepared, in case things went wrong tonight. He would possibly have to fight his own people. Maybe his family.

"_Lang,_" His mother looked at him kindly, knowing something was wrong. "_What are you thinking about?_"

"_Nothing, mother._" But the way that he held himself stiff, every time he heard a scream from inside the house where Tim and Jim were kept, belied his unease.

"_Your father wasn't always like this._" His mother said after a brief silence. She chuckled softly and went back to knitting reeds into a basket. Lang's mother had 'retired' from the village's demon-hunting, going so far as to refuse to help prepare warriors by arming them. She did all the things that were essential to running a village, like making pots, cleaning, mending things and cooking. But she never fought unless it was for practise, never held a weapon to sharpen it for a deadly purpose. Lang was sometimes secretly ashamed that his mother didn't have the spirit of the clan inside of her...

"_Do you remember when you were ten and your grandfather and father went out to the woods alone?_" Lang nodded at his mother's words. He remembered pretty well. His grandfather had been ailing and as was the custom, the next leader in line would take the old leader out and receive final instructions from the dying leader. Then the successor would tend to the old one until he passed on. His father had disappeared for ten days and when he came back, he had changed drastically.

From what Lang remembered of his grandfather, Lang had always felt the distance between his grandfather and him. It wasn't that his grandfather didn't like him, oh no. It was just that his grandfather would look at him some times and Lang felt like the old man saw a THING that he liked. Not a person. In fact, his grandfather was that way with everyone, even his wife.

Lang's father, when Lang was aged ten, was quite different from the man he was now. Master Heen doted upon his son and showered attention and love on the child and the child's mother. Lang remembered quite well how his father used to carry him on his shoulders when he was small, joke with the boy, treated him with ready affection. After Master Heen had taken Lang's grandfather out into the woods, he had changed. Gone were the little jokes the two shared, the steady hand on his shoulder and the kindness. When his father looked at him or talked to him, Lang felt like his grandfather stood there in front of him.

"_When your father came back, he was completely different. He had forgotten what we had talked about before._" Lang's mother said calmly, though her hands had started to shake. "_When your grandfather was dying, your father and I were talking about reform. We wanted to change the way your grandfather did things in the village. You remember, way before your grandfather had started getting sick._"

Lang nodded again, remember how his father had exercised mercy, one time. They had caught a Tiger demon. His father had let it loose after a brief conversation with the thing. Lang remembered that his father and his grandfather had gotten into a huge argument, got the whole village riled up about how they should treat the other-folk. Then his grandfather had started getting sick.

"_When he came back from his walk with your grandfather... things had changed. Your father either didn't remember or pretended not to remember the conversations we had._" His mother rested her hands on the half-woven basket, stilling in their work. "_I thought I was going crazy. This man I loved had changed so much... so much that I didn't even know him any more._"

Lang frowned, not knowing what to say to that. His mother was always a little bit...eccentric. But he remembered some of what she said. Before the walk, his mother and father seemed to love each other very much and now... now, his father and mother barely talked to each other. His mother had even moved back to her family's building and left Lang and his father to themselves. She came over every day to do motherly things like cook and clean, of course, but she slept in her parents' house. She refused to sleep at her husband's. People accepted it because they thought Lang's mother was just taking care of her old and infirm parents. Lang knew differently, though.

"_Your grandmother, your father's mother... she died very soon after your father came back from his walk with your grandfather._" Lang's mother, took her son's hands in her own. Lang noticed that they were rough from hard work, weathered and starting to wrinkle. A pang of regret hit him as he noticed suddenly that his mother was getting old. "_Listen carefully, Lang. And remember what I tell you, okay?_"

"_Yeh, ah ma._" Lang said obediently, noting the seriousness of her voice.

"_The same thing happened to your grandmother, that happened to me._" Lang's mother said softly, but her voice was all he heard. "_She was heart-broken when your father came home and he had changed too._"

Lang remembered that too. When his grandmother had seen his father, she had started raving and denying that this was his son.

"_Your grandfather used to be a very jolly man before HE went for a walk with HIS father. Then he changed. And your father, he changed. You will change too, son._" She said solemnly, but there was still a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "_But you can change for the better. Never, EVER go on that walk with your father. Do the right thing, son._"

"_Ma, what--_"

"_I'm cooking all your father's favourites tonight. He'll eat a big meal, then he'll be sleepy._" His mother smiled mysteriously. "_If... and that's a big if. If the boys your father has as our guests manage to... let themselves out at night. Well. That would be too bad._"

He looked at her, slightly stunned. Was it that apparent that he was going to do something?

"_I'm your mother. I know when you're up to things. And your face just betrayed you._" His mother chuckled and put a hand against his face. "_'Master Heen' never pays close attention to you, so he won't notice anything amiss._"

Lang nodded, trying to get his emotions back under his control, but felt a lump form in his throat at his mother's next words.

"_Today will be the last time I see you._" His mother smiled, unshed tears apparent in her eyes. "_My, how my son has grown up. And how proud he has made me._"

"_Ma._" Lang choked out, looking around furtively. But there was no-one around to see him as he wiped at his eyes furiously with the back of his hand. "_Ma.._"

"_Act like normal, son. And remember everything we taught you here._" His mother looked down at her basket and started weaving again, ignoring her son's pleading eyes. "_And remember always that no matter what you're taught, you remember that your duty does NOT come before doing what is right. Now go. You probably have much to prepare._"

* * *

Jim looked over at his brother, huddled in a fetal position at the other side of the room. Tim had been tortured by a man who seemed to delight in the pain it brought the brothers. Jim was still manacled inside the cage in an awkward position where he couldn't sit or kneel and the height of the cage didn't allow him to stand. So he stood crouched for hours, until guards came with food and tended to his brother.

'They wanted to torture him, they don't want him dead.' Jim held on to that one last ray of hope, knowing full well how pathetic it was. But he didn't care. His brother alive and hurting was infinitely better than him dead and not hurting at all.

'Take care of your brother, take care of your brother. FUCK! I'm doing a fucking shit job!' Jim pulled at his manacles again, not paying attention to the pain it caused his hands. He was already pretty certain he had broken one of his wrists today trying to yank off his bindings. But he didn't care. If he had to gnaw off his hands, he would get his brother out of this hellhole!

The sudden moonlight that streamed into the room made him turn to the door, bristling. But what he saw made him tremble with joy.

"Tigger!" Jim whispered, trying to keep his voice low. But the figure that stepped in next made his heart drop. Dressed in the simple uniform of the hunters and a jacket to ward off the night chill, Jim recognized the man who had captured them.

"What--"

The figure put a figure to his lips, then pushed Tigger in Jim's direction. Two other people slipped in to the room and the door was closed. The two made their way over to Tim and before Jim could yell at them to get away from his brother, Lang had reached through the cage and covered his mouth. The only reason Jim didn't bite down on those fingers was that Tigger was looking happily at the Asian man and had a paw on Jim's knee as if to say 'trust him'.

"We're trying to get you out. But you have to be quiet and do what we say." Lang unlocked the cage door, then quickly worked on Jim's manacles. "You need to do everything that I say. If they catch us, we're all dead."

Jim nodded, looking over at his brother who, with the help of the other two rescuers, was struggling into the hunter clan's uniform. Jim was given a similar uniform and he slipped in to it quickly, ignoring the pain that flared in his wrist as he slipped his arm through the sleeves, then pulled the hood of the jacket up.

"Listen carefully," Lang glanced at the front door nervously, expecting his father to burst in at any minute. "You follow me and we'll take you back to your friends. But I need you to not say ANYTHING. Not even in the forest. Not until we have you in front of your friends should you speak."

Jim and Tim nodded.

"Tim... can you walk?" Tim nodded sluggishly. Lang touched the young man's shoulder, feeling sick to his stomach when he couldn't even recognize Tim's face. It was just a mass of bruising and swelling.

"Stay with me, alright?" Lang whispered. "I'll get you out of here."

The one eye that wasn't swollen completely shut looked at Lang gratefully. The young man even managed a smile, which looked unbelievably pitiful. Past his lips, sardonic words managing to rasp past his bloody, swollen lips. "My hero."

Lang nodded, not knowing how else to respond to that. Slipping quietly to the door, he knocked an odd, soft rythym on it. Almost immediately, an answering tapping came back and the door ws pushed open swiftly. Tigger slipped out first, then the rest of them exited that god-forsaken building, shutting its doors and hoping to never ever have to see the insides of the place again.

Crossing the yard with a casual gait, they arrived at the front gate and a guard on the side moved to open the gate for them.

"_Think you'll get any action tonight?_"

"_If we do, they won't know what hit them._" Lang chuckled. "_See you in a bit--_"

"_You got more people than usual tonight, don't you?_" The guard on the other side noted, curiosity evident in his voice. He wasn't able to see all the faces, especially not Tim and Jim's, situated in the middle of the small group. But what he said was unnerving and Lang didn't need to see to KNOW that several of his people must of stiffened at the observation. Shit. "_What's going on? We didn't hear anything 'bout this._"

"_Some of us got caught playing dice when they had other things they should've been doing._" Lang said dryly, hoping that the guards would fall for it. "_So I decided, since they had time to play dice, they can sacrifice some sleep for patrol._"

"_Oh-ho. Tough break._" The guards laughed. "_Go on._"

The group left quickly as the main gate opened for them and closed behind them swiftly, Tigger slipping out with the group ignored by the guards. The stray dogs came and went as they liked, lounging inside the gates or outside. They were so common and everyone was so used to them that nobody paid them much mind. As the guards stood at their posts, one of them happened to cast his bored gaze at the ground, pausing as the moon illuminated a puddle of dark substance.

"_Hey, what's that?_" One of the guards walked forward and knelt down, dipping his fingers in the puddle. Bringing his wet fingers closer to his face, he felt a cold weight settle in his stomach as his stomach turned at the implications. Blood. Most likely from one of the patrollers. Their footprints, as they moved forward, trailed blood through the gate. This much blood should only come from someone greviously wounded... And the group had a few more people than alotted for patrol.

"_I'm going to check on our guests. You stay here._"

Within a few minutes, the alarm was raised and pursuers armed to the teeth, reeling from shock and anger at the traitors, raced off to tear the group limb from limb. Master Heen headed the group, rage darkening his features so much that he seemed almost demonic. If it was possible, his features darkened even more as his people uncharacteristically stumbled in the darkness of the forest.

"_What are you fools--_" His words were cut off as he was sent sprawling to the ground, an unseen hole tripping him. Tigger had been busy all day too, he hadn't lounged around doing nothing at all. All day, he had dug and dug and dug. Many, MANY holes that he was very proud of. Some were deep, some were shallow. But they all served a purpose. Tigger, meanwhile, lead Lang and his men past the earth riddled with holes, to a smooth path he had planned out. Everybody had automatically followed Tigger, unaware of how he had helped since they didn't encounter any of his simple traps.

"_DAMN IT!_" Master Heen roared, now carefully, and so very slowly navigating the area in front of his home. Those traitors would PAY with their hide!

"You okay?" Lang was on Tim's left side, practically carrying the young man. Tim's right arm was broken so there was no-one on his other side. The speed was jostling Tim's many wounds and already, Lang could feel the young man's blood seeping into his own clothes.

"I... I'm fine." Tim slurred because of his fat lips and because he was starting to get light-headed from the loss of blood.

"Hang on. We'll get you out even if it kills us." Lang whispered hoarsely. The sounds of pursuit was getting louder and they weren't moving any faster. Tigger remained ahead of them but would periodically look behind him impatiently, wanting his group to move faster. They were almost there. But the pursuers were almost on them.

Suddenly, they were surrounded on all sides and the harried group tensed, raised their weapons until they realized the people around them were monks. The robed, clean-shaven men circled them protectively, hurrying them towards the clearing as the first pursuer met the outer circle in a vicious cry the sound of metal against metal broke the peace of the forest.

"_Go!_" Lang shouted, then bent down to pick up Tim, hooking his arm around the back of the young man's knees. Tim let out a sharp hiss of pain and Lang muttered a quick apology, but didn't stop as he ran as fast as he could. Tim's only reply was to circle his good arm around Lang's neck, tuck his head against the man's chest and hold on as tight as he was able to.

Breaking out into the clearing, Lang immediately pinpointed where Kim was, her red hair blazing under the moon. Surprisingly, the clearing seemed... empty, except for Kim Possible and her team.

"_We're going to get massacred!_" One of his men who also noticed the apparent lack of back-up, cried out in dismay. Lang didn't say anything, pressed his lips thin together as he lead his men to Kim and she ran to meet them halfway.

"Jim! Tim!" Kim shrieked and held out her arms to take her brother, tears running down her face. Tim himself, was amazed to see the emotions on his sister's face. She cared. The past few months had been a drain on their family as they tried to deal with a changed Kim who didn't seem to care about anything or anyone. Kim cared about him.

"Sis," Tim managed to whimper, tears starting to run down his mangled face. He couldn't help a sob from coming up as he practically fell into his sister's arms, clutching on to her with a death's grip.

"You're safe now, nobody is going to hurt you ever again." She was dimly aware of Jim hugging her too and she circled her arm around his shoulders, kissing his head frantically. The redhead could feel herself going ice-cold with rage. How DARE they do this to her brothers!

As the bulk of the pursuing forces poured in to the clearing fighting the retreating monks, the hunters who had defected raised their weapons hesitantly. They'd have to defend themselves. But they were going to die. It was too obvious, there were too many of them! Already, the monks who had given them support were faltering, backing up step by step. But as Lang looked to Kim for some direction, she stood firm, watching the scene with an impassive eye. As the last of the attackers cleared the trees, Kim raised one hand straight into the air.

"_NOW_!" Suddenly, the shadows in the trees seperated to show men with bows and arrows, dressed in dark blue, the perfect colour to blend in in the darkness of the forest and the bright light of the moon. The pursuers paused now, looking around in bewilderment. All except one who kept his eyes on Lang and Lang couldn't help but be locked in his father's gaze.

"_You can continue to fight us or we can see how many arrows it takes to make you fall._" Kim's voice was hard and tight, anger making her features sharper, more beautiful in the moonlight.

"_We're not leaving without our people._" Master Heen snarled. "_So either move or we'll move you!_"

"_They're *my* people now._" Kim's eyes flash with green fire as she passed her brothers over to Ron and Monique. "_You can try to take them from me._"

"_As you like._" The leader of the hunter clan roared his orders and his people ran forward to meet their opponents as the arrows started to fly.

"Get my brothers out of here!" Kim shouted her orders at Ron and Monique, then jumped into the fray, the staff she had chosen as a weapon beating away her challengers with ease. She owed them a world of pain for what they had done to her brothers!

* * *

Haoxian sat on one of the steps at the edge of the courtyard, alone. Except for the one or two monks that walked about, everyone left him alone. He had wanted to fight, but Kim was right. If they were after him, it was better that he was within the walls of the monastery where it would be hard to get past the defenses the monks had.

Haoxian just just wanted to make up for what he had done. He was deeply mortified by his cowardice when the brothers had been taken. Instead of fighting bravely, he had dived under the bed to hide while the two brothers had been taken. He had raised the alarm afterwards, sure, but he had wasted precious time hiding in the dust, shaking with fear. He had been worse than useless!

Haoxian was suddenly torn out of his self-deprecation as a young monk ran across the courtyard to the Abbot's room.

'What's going on?' Haoxian got up from his seat curiously and trailed after the monk.

"_...not retreating... still fighting..._" Haoxian stood behind one of the pillars near Nam Ho's room, listening intently. "_...doesn't seem to want to give up even though most of his men are down. There's blood everywhere._"

"_Tell the guards at the wall to stay on the alert. I don't understand what Heen is thinking..._" Nam Ho's quiet voice reached Haoxian. As the young monk ran back out again, Haoxian walked out of his hiding place and walked curiously into Nam Ho's room.

"_Ah. Haoxian. How can I help you?_" The abbot caught sight of the young man and smiled from his bed.

"_Is everything okay?_" Haoxian asked politely. Even though he and the abbot didn't get along at the beginning, Haoxian was grateful for the sanctuary Nam Ho had offered him.

"_Everything is fine. It's just that the leader of the hunters seem intent on trying to kill himself and his people._" Nam Ho said wryly. The young man didn't answer him. His eyes were locked on the sword hanging near Nam Ho's bed.

"_Haoxian?_"

The young man still didn't answer. But Nam Ho's words seemed to prompt Haoxian into motion as he strode towards the sword with a purpose.

"_Haoxian, no, don't--_" Nam Ho's calls fell on deaf ears as Haoxian reached forward, face blank and eyes slightly glazed. When his fingers touched the sword, a bright light ripped through the room and a howling wind accompanied it, overturning table and chairs, knocking scrolls off the wall and nearly pulling Nam Ho from his bed.

By the time the wind had died and the spots had cleared from Nam Ho's eyes, Haoxian was gone.

And so was the sword.

* * *

end note: Sorry, no Shego in this chapter. Maybe the next one :P


	10. Scatter

Scatter

A Kim Possible Fanfiction

immo

author's note: Wonder what happens next after this? Well... me and you both. lol. Just a quick reminder again. Any characters speaking in _italics_ means that they're speaking Chinese.

* * *

"There you are. I am sorry I forgot to check you too." Haoxian smiled serenely at Jim after healing his wrist.

"It's fine." Jim flexed his fingers, rotating his wrist this way and that in wonder. It *was* completely healed! Tigger watched in wonder too and whined with excitement, his tail whipping the air furiously.

"How is your brother?" Haoxian asked quietly while petting the canine. Haoxian had laid his hands on the boy and healed his more serious wounds, the smaller wounds he left for Tim's own healing to kick in.

"Still sleeping." Jim looked over his shoulder at the bed. Hooked up to an IV, Tim was dead to the world and had been since Haoxian had healed him. The otherfolk had explained that what he did was more accelerating Tim's natural healing powers and less true healing. But in exchange for accelerating Tim's natural healing time, his body demanded rest and nourishment. The exchange, however, was worth it in Jim's opinion. Now, there was little to no evidence of the brutal punishment that Tim suffered at the hands of Master Heen.

Haoxian nodded then patted Jim's arm absentmindedly. "You should probably head to the kitchen and find something to eat now."

"I'm not hungry--" The young man was interrupted by his stomach telling him that it disagreed with his assessment.

"A broken wrist takes a lot for your body to heal. Now you need to replenish, go." Haoxian chuckled. "I will watch your brother for you."

Even though the Asian man had healed both him and his brother and chased off Master Heen and his hunters from the massacre in the woods, Jim was still loathe to leave his brother's side. Haoxian was just... a big question mark. He would jump from emotion to emotion, his personality hard to pin down. Arrogant and superior one minute, unsure and scared the next; then angry and snarling after that. And now, it was even stranger. With that shining sword by his side, all emotions seemed to have disappeared from his face. Where before, Haoxian's words and actions showed everyone the inner turmoil and confusion he was feeling, now there was... nothing. Like all of the things he felt before had been swept away, replaced by this glacial being.

"Well, alright." Jim felt his stomach complaining again. It felt like he hadn't eaten in AGES! "Just.. if anything, call me."

"Of course." Haoxian nodded politely.

'Tim is safe with him.' Jim reassured himself, turning back with one foot out the door to look at Haoxian. The young man with the white-streaked hair smiled at him blankly. When the door closed, Haoxian waited a few seconds before getting up slowly, dusting off imaginary dust from his sleeves. Turning on his heels, he walked over slowly to Tim, head tilted to one side, curious.

Finally reaching the young man's bedside, Haoxian looked up at the IV, his eyes following the tube all the way to where it connected to this curious young man lying unconscious before him.

"You are just human." Haoxian said quietly to the silent boy. Because compared to Haoxian, Tim was just a boy. "You could have stopped antagonizing him."

Jim had quietly told Haoxian what had happened during their capture, almost unaware that he was pouring his heart out to the otherfolk. Told Haoxian how Tim had refused to talk, as Haoxian placed his hands on Tim and sped up Tim's body to heal his grievous wounds.

"I hid when they came and they took you and your brother." Haoxian sat down on the edge of the bed. "I did not stop them because I was afraid. You could have saved yourself the pain just by telling them everything you knew about me, it would not have mattered since you did not know much, anyways. But you did not betray my trust. Why?"

"_Can't you just accept that he's a better person than you are?_" Lang was leaning against the open doorway of the room and Tigger gave a short bark and a faint wave of his tail in greeting. Haoxian didn't react to the man, just slowly turned to look at the ex-hunter.

"_I have not thanked you for risking your life to bring Tim and Jim back_." Haoxian ignored Lang's jibe rising from his seat on the bed, pressed his palm against his closed fist and bowed low at the waist. "_Thank you._"

"_ No,_" Lang mocked Haoxian's formal bow. "_I should be thanking YOU. After all, you did bring a quick end to our fight._"

It had been almost... surreal. Lang had been trying to move away from the fight with Kim Possible's friends and brothers inside the protective circle of Lang's group of deserters. Unfortunately, trying was all they could do as hunters came at them and refused to let them retreat into the trees. People were falling, dying all around them with Kim and Master Heen in the centre, dueling for supremacy.

All of a sudden, lightning blinded almost everyone in the clearing, followed by a loud crack of thunder. When they could all see and hear again, there stood the young Haoxian, standing in the middle of the clearing. The source of all this. Resplendant in a long, golden-yellow robe, he held a sword high in the air, brandished a blade that shone as bright as the sun, illuminating the clearing.

"_Retreat!_" Master Heen had called out, an arm over his face to block out the light, already back-pedaling, not even trying to get an extra swipe in. The monks let them leave, half-heartedly chasing after them, letting them leave with their wounded. Most of the hunters left basically intact since the monks used non-lethal weapons. The same could not be said for Kim's side as they scattered to tend to their wounded or mourned the few who had fallen to the hunters' sharp weapons.

"_You are most welcome. Now, do you have a reason other than thanking me to be here?_" Haoxian made Lang... nervous. The young ex-hunter had always been told that these creatures were always up to no good and should be exterminated. But he had watched this otherfolk help as much as he can, healing gaping wounds like it was nothing.

"_I want to know what you're after. If you're going to hurt people._" Lang proclaimed. Even if he was no longer allowed back home, he could still help and protect people. Haoxian's face remained impassive as he turned his back on Lang to look down at Tim.

"_I make no promises. Humans are fragile. But the door has been opened, so I must do my part. I understand what is going on now._" Haoxian placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "_This was started long ago by you people and now... you reap the consequences._"

"_That sounds like a threat._" Lang growled, reaching for his weapons, then remembering how they had been confiscated as soon as he stepped foot in the monastery.

"_It is not. It is just the truth. I will try my best to dissuade the more violent of my kind... but the floodgates have been opened. The Twelve must rise again._"

"_And that's what we're here to talk about._" The abbot was at the door, supported by Ron on one side and Vince on the other. Kim Possible followed behind them, as did the rest of the team and Vince and his family. A couple of elder monks also stepped in to the room, making it quite crowded.

"_Master Lang?_" Ka Yi, his second-in-command, poked her head in to the room. "_Is everything alright?_"

"_No 'Master'. Just 'Lang'._" Lang grimaced. "_And everything is fine in here._"

Ka Yi entered the room anyways and stood beside her leader. In her eyes and the eyes of all the deserters, Lang was their leader now and they would follow him to hell if he lead them there. There was no turning back, no going back. They no longer had a home to go back to.

"_I remember everything._" Haoxian announced to those present, touching his temple in an absentminded gesture. "_Everything._"

"_Good. Because you have some explaining to do, Haoxian._" Abbot Nam Ho said gravely. When Haoxian moved to touch him, the abbot held up a hand. "_I see what you've done for my people, but my well-being can wait. I want to understand. And I want you to return our monastery's sword to us._"

"_It is not yours._" Haoxian replied, watching Kim walk over to her unconscious brother. She sat at his bedside and took his hand in her own while keeping an eye on the proceedings. "_This was stolen from me a long time ago. This was the key to locking me away. Please sit, sir, and I will explain everything._"

When everyone was as comfortable as can be, Haoxian started his story slowly.

"_I am,_" Haoxian drew himself up, stood a bit taller. His voice seemed to echo and bounce around the crowded room. "_one of the sons of the Fifth. My brothers and I are nine, altogether. Our sins are great and we did unforgivable things. Our most precious things were used against us and we were commanded to commit atrocities. Instead of disobeying, we obeyed, for the sake of what we held dearer than life. Our first commandment was to lock our father away, extract all that he was from his body and entomb him in stone. For our troubles, we were imprisoned in stone in turn and placed inside the dwelling place of our captor._"

"_My village._" Lang thought aloud.

"_The very same. He took our keys and scattered them to the ends of the earth. My key,_" Haoxian patted the scabbard of his sword. "_Managed to travel back into my general vicinity. I gained consciousness as soon as my sword neared me, but that tortured me to no end. While they slept, I was half-awake for... centuries._"

The anguish Haoxian had faced caused that emotionless mask to slip just a bit, before the feeling passed and he continued his story. "_Every time my sword was drawn, I was able to escape my prison. But almost immediately afterwards, whoever held my sword at the time sheathed it once more. So I was caught every time I escaped._"

"_There were a few abbots back in the days who scoffed at the saying 'curiousity killed the cat' and drew the blade._" Abbot Nam Ho nodded, remembering his old master telling him the stories that accompanied the sword. Anyone who drew the sword was marked by an influx of the otherfolk so that was why even touching the sword was severely discouraged. "_And some who had to use the sword to defend our home. But this time, I didn't touch the sword and I'm pretty sure none of mine touched this weapon._"

"_This time, the sword did not wake me._" Haoxian closed his eyes. "_The Sixth's awakening did._"

Kim asked. "_Who is the Sixth?_"

"You did good on these translators, Dr. Lipsky." Monique whispered and gave a thumbs-up to the blue scientist. The man beamed at the compliment and would have tucked his thumbs into his suspenders if he had been wearing any.

"Who da man?"

"You da man!"

"_The Sixth is one of the Twelve._" Haoxian said patiently, amusement showing in his eyes, knowing that he was deliberately speaking in circles.

"_Who are the Twelve?_" Kim asked, not liking how the man was talking in circles.

"_They are the Twelve who oversee the world, Kim Possible. They are a force of nature, the most powerful beings on the face of this world._" Haoxian explained. "_They are the source of 'magic', as you humans call it. A long time ago, they were captured, one by one. Without the Twelve, the magic became scarce. They are like.. oxygen for those who practise the art. Without them, those who sought to practise the art would not flourish as they did long ago._"

"Magic?" Ron snorted, folding his arms across his chest. "Seriously?"

Haoxian tilted his head to one side, speaking in English for Ron's sake. "You of all people are doubting this, Ronald Stoppable? Do I not sense a certain... monkey magic around you?"

"Don't SAY that!" Ron held his hands over his ears, shivering at the word 'monkey'. "Sick and WRONG!"

"_Since the Twelve were cut off from the world, there is a significant decrease of mystical activity. Things became a whole lot more mundane. This world's atmosphere did not allow for us 'otherfolk' as we have been named, to roam freely._" Having proven his point to Ron, Haoxian continued his explanation in Chinese. "_But you can not keep the Twelve under wraps entirely. They have become so enmeshed in the world that they could still influence it in little ways. For example... wherever one of the Twelve is imprisoned, that area has an extraordinarily large amount of us there. Such as Er Mei and She Cun._"

Michelle and Vince perked up at the mention of their home and their ancestor's dwelling place. Ga Ming was totally uninterested in the conversation, however, and amused himself in his mother's arms by chewing on the collar of her shirt.

"_This Sixth thing was hidden near our village?_" Vince frowned. "_How did... I don't understand..._"

"_Did you actually think the Green Snake, had enough power to shield an entire mountain, surrounding valleys AND your village? They were drawing the power from somewhere, probably without even knowing it and thinking it was all their own doing. Not many of the otherfolk even remember the Twelve, because the ones who achieved power after they were sealed away had no-one to tell them the beginnings of us._" Haoxian's face darkened. "_All the ones who had that knowledge had been slaughtered or sealed away so they were not able to educate the young._"

"Why do you remember?" Monique asked and Dr. Lipsky pointed at Monique and nodded, making it known that he thought the woman had asked a VERY smart question.

"_I am one of the children of the Fifth. I have personal knowledge of the Twelve. And I was one of the ones who could not be destroyed, so I was sealed away._" Haoxian blinked slowly. "_I guess one could say that I was 'lucky' to have been just sealed away and not killed outright._"

"Okay, so it's nice that we know all of this." Dr. Lipsky crossed his arms petulantly. "But I don't really care."

"Drew!" Monique glared at the man. Dr. Lipsky, however, made no apologies and just shrugged.

"I came here after one thing and one thing only: Shego's body." Dr. Lipsky said solemnly. "And you people said he might have answers! Or-or at least it was implied that he would have answers! And I've been good, I've kept quiet for a long time. Now I want to know if he can help me find Shego's body or not! If not, I want to move on!"

Kim hadn't wanted to say anything until she was alone with Haoxian, but she was glad Dr. Lipsky had voiced her thoughts for her.

"What I have been saying recently, HAS been relevant to your search for your friend." Haoxian shook his head at the blue man's impatience. "The Twelve have been imprisoned in a way that would not allow them to move about freely. Basically, the bodies they had before had been destroyed. They canot make new ones since they are not powerful enough alone to do so, at the moment." Haoxian stressed the last words, pausing significantly before continuing. "So they require the service of a vessel."

"A vessel?" With a sinking feeling, Kim already knew where this conversation was headed.

"One who contain the essence of one of the Twelve for a time." The sword-carrying otherfolk nodded.

Monique frowned slightly. "So anybody would do--"

"No. Not just anybody. The chosen would have to be the Avatar of that specific one. Those are very hard to come by, but your friend Shego so happened to be one of the Twelve's Avatar. The coincidence, the odds of something like this happening is just astounding." Haoxian rubbed his chin. "The Sixth would have entered the body of the Avatar when it came in close proximity to the Sixth's prison. The body, of course, had to be newly dead. As in killed right at the spot."

"Shego's wasn't." Kim's whisper was loud in the suddenly quiet room. Needing to believe that the vision she had of Shego, her heart's desire, had been HER Shego and not just someone wearing her skin. "If you're suggesting that she was the Avatar... it's impossible. She was killed up at Er Mei. We brought her back down and she was buried--"

"--days later." Michelle felt a lump lodge in her throat, remembering the day they lowered Shego down into a hole in the ground. That had been one of the worst days of her life.

Haoxian smiled at Kim pleasantly. "As I said before, the odds of all of this coming together for the Sixth... it is just unbelievable. It is a mystery how she managed to acquire her Avatar's body past the window of time alotted to her."

"So what you're saying is that someone's hijacked her body?" Dr. Lipsky smacked a fist into his open palm in a gesture of sudden understanding. "That IS what you're saying, isn't it?"

"It is." Haoxian nodded. "Well, 'hijack' is not quite the word I would use. 'Borrow' would be better."

"Woah." Jim's stunned voice brought everybody's attention to the young man at the door. "You leave for a second and everybody invades your room."

Monique waved him over and told him they'll bring him up to speed later, as the discussion continued.

"The Sixth has been reviving the Twelve. She has already woken the Second and now it will just be a matter of time before the others awaken. That would be the biggest problem."

"_Why?_" Nam Ho frowned, asking in Chinese.

"_Because I believe most of them will be angry._" Haoxian clenched his teeth, a flash of something passing in his eyes that Nam Ho immediately recognized. Fear. "_My brothers and I were not only used to contain our father. We were used to hunt down the other Twelve and find ways to put them away._"

There was a long silence. Then Monique cleared her throat and looked at Haoxian seriously. "What now, then? What're you gonna do?"

"I am... going to free my brothers." Haoxian sighed, resigned. "We are the keys to our father's prison. We must all go to free him. Then... we shall see."

"_So let me get this straight..._" Lang hadn't said much since the beginning of this discussion, but now he pinned Haoxian with an incredulous look. "_You want to free your father, whom you betrayed and imprisoned?_"

"_What we did was wrong. And we shall right that wrong._" Haoxian chuckled humourlessly. "_It is better for us to face our just desserts for imprisoning the Twelve anyways, then to wait for them to hold council and hunt us down._"

"_Council?_"

"_They hold one every year, but the decisions are usually made by the ruling member of that year. It is only when the First holds council that things become interesting. What the First dictates will happen in the first year shapes the decisions the other eleven will make in their years. I am certain that once they are all awake, they will hold council immediately._"

"Well, like I said, that's all well and good. But I want to find Shego and put her to rest. I don't care about anything else." Dr. Lipsky said stubbornly. "Tell me how to find her and we'll all be on our merry way."

"Well, you do not have to look far." Haoxian pinned Kim with a look, his eyes traveling down to where the little fox's heart was hidden underneath her shirt. "Kim Possible has the means to find her. Though putting her to rest will be a bit hard right now."

Kim knew it was true. Now that she had no distractions and her brothers were safe. She could leave with her team and look for Shego... Shego's body. Bring it back and bury it. Kim kept a tight hold of her feelings, feeling the hope die inside her again. It hurt the same every single time. Why did she even hope? It was like having Shego die again and again and she could feel it all breaking inside of her again... In her mind's eye, that image of Shego was just the image of someone in her skin.

Kim cleared her throat, hoping she wouldn't choke on the tears that were threatening to spill again. She was so tired of crying. "Sorry, Haoxian. I think we're going to have to go after Shego's body first. Then we'll help you with your brothers and father--"

"Leave me out of the 'we', Kim."

Ron's calm announcement shocked the team. Ron went everywhere with Kim!

"What?" Kim asked hoarsely.

"I said," Ron drew back his shoulders. "I'm not coming along. I think Haoxian might need a bit of help on his end. And I don't think getting Shego's body back trumps saving Haoxian's family. What's so important about getting Shego's body back, anyways? It's just a body. She's dead."

He was deliberately pressing her buttons, Kim knew it. But she still couldn't stop herself from rushing him and pinning him to the wall, the impact of body against hard object knocking the air out of him. Tigger was on his feet, barking excitedly, not knowing what to do while everyone moved as one to pull Kim back.

"Kim!" Vince and Monique were at her side first, trying to pull her back, but the redhead was like a rock.

"No, Kim! No!" Rufus was at Ron's shoulder, trying to loosen Kim's fingers, make her let go of Ron's shirt.

"Why is it so important, huh?" Ron shouted breathlessly. "Huh? What's so important, Kim? You didn't even tell us!"

"Shut... up..." Kim breathed out, feeling lightheaded with grief. She pulled back then slammed Ron against the wall again. The blonde didn't fight back, just let her do what she wanted, feeling the air whoosh out of his lungs. "Shut up! You don't know anything!"

"You could've escaped." Ron's weezing voice was loud in the silent room. "You could've, so why didn't you? Why don't you tell us, huh?"

"Kim, girl, you gotta let him go." Monique was intrigued by what was being said, but not enough to stop and ask. She just wanted Kim to let Ron go. "Kim--"

"You want me to tell them." Kim suddenly released Ron and took several steps back. "Fine."

Michelle was rubbing her baby's back soothingly, trying to calm him down as he looked on in wide-eyed fright at the sudden violence that had unfolded before his young eyes.

"We were worried about you." Ron rasped out, tears streaming down his face now. "But you were too caught up in 'helping' Shego. Did she like your type of 'help'? Did she tell you how good you were? Did she 'help' you back--"

A swift slap silenced Ron Stoppable. He touched his cheek gingerly, deeply hurt that his best friend in all the world had actually slapped him.

"Ron." Monique was horrified at the unfolding scene. "What are you saying?"

"Ask her." Ron pointed at Kim Possible. The sorrow, the apology on her face was not enough. "Ask her what she was doing while we ran ourselves ragged looking for her. While her parents, her family and friends were worried SICK for her."

"You make it sound like Kim was sleeping with Shego or something." Monique joked weakly. The sudden silence in the room was deafening. The dark-skinned girl spun to face Kim. "You... you were actually sleeping with her?"

"We have more important things to worry about right now." Lang suddenly snapped. "I'm sure your little drama here is important to you, but there are more important things. Like," Lang took a step towards Haoxian. "What the hell did you mean by us 'reaping the consequences'?"

"The Twelve were angry." Haoxian said softly, remembering how each of the ones he had helped track down, strained, furious against their restraints. Bewildered by their bonds. Promised retribution. Promised pain. "The Twelve felt betrayed. They had always done what they thought was right by those they protected. Who knew that the race that asked the most of them would do this to them? They were caught by surprise, ambushed, unaware. Their power stolen for a purpose that seems so... small."

"What purpose?" Lang asked, didn't realize that his hands were clenched into fists at his side.

Haoxian stared at Lang unblinkingly, for a long time. Then he shook his head. "All who are aware of death fear it. What would you do if you found out how to conquer death? If you could have life eternal, youth everlasting... Would you do it? Even if it meant that you would have to sacrifice someone innocent?"

Lang's hands started to shake.

"But of course, the power of the Twelve is almost impossible to harness. It is too much for a simple human. To actually be able to learn how to attain immortality would take too long for someone impatient, it would be easier to just slip into the skin of someone younger and stronger. That would be much easier to learn in one lifetime."

Lang swayed, almost fell down but Ka Yi's hand steadied him. "_My father--_"

"_Has not been your father for quite some time, young Master Lang._" Haoxian shook his head, sympathy in his eyes. "_You lost your father a long time ago and you did not even know it._"

"_No._" Ka Yi shook her head. "_Master Heen--_"

"_Is one of the original hunters that took down my father. And now, I must free my brothers to make things right. Once my father is free, this body-stealer will lose his stolen power._"

"What will you do after you free your father?" Nam Ho asked.

"I will ask him to allow me to hunt down the rest of the original hunters and help free the Twelve. Then I will submit to the Twelve's judement."

Dr. Lipsky's eyes were darting from side to side, looking at everyone around the room. He only had one objective.

"I'm going to find Shego!" Dr. Lipsky stomped his feet on the ground. He looked over at Kim Possible expectantly. "Kim Possible, are you with me?"

"I'm going to help Haoxian." Ron spat out before Kim could answer. "Are you coming with us, KP?"

Kim had to choose. Actually, it wasn't much of a choice. The fox's heart told her clearly what her heart's desire was and she was tired, so tired of not having it.

"No, Ron." Kim walked over to Dr. Lipsky, not looking over at her friends. "I'm not."

There was silence.

"Of course. You picked her over us then, why would I expect you to do differently now?"

"I didn't pick her over anyone! It's... complicated. You don't understand--"

"I understand just fine. You picked her over us before. You're doing it again. Right?" Ron paused, looking at the back of Kim's head, wondering if she would try to explain herself. When she didn't say anything, he shook his head and left the room.

"Ron!" Monique started after Ron, then stopped to run back to Kim's side. "Kim--god, you two are just---Ron!"

"What the hell just happened?" Jim blinked stupidly, watching Monique tear out of the room after Ron. What the hell had just happened?

"Jim, I'm calling for a ride for you and Tim." Kim placed a hand on Dr. Lipsky's shoulder, as if to steady herself. "The both of you are going home."

"Hell no!" Jim was fast to argue, not really caring about what had just been revealed. This was his sister and he'd be damned if he let her run off by herself again! "I'm going with you!"

"You just got out of a bad situation." Kim's hand was shaking. Her brothers had been kidnapped and one of them had been beaten to the point where she had been unable to recognize him. Ron had walked out on her. Monique was angry at her. Someone might be taking Shego's body out on a joyride. "I'm not letting you walk in to another one. Go home with your brother."

There was steel in her voice, reflected in her eyes when she turned to stare down Jim. And he felt just like a child again, young and afraid of his sister's fury. But he pressed his lips together and stood his ground stubbornly, desperately.

"You won't go anywhere without your brother, right?" Kim tried a softer approach. "You're supposed to take care of each other and you can't if you're not by his side. Can you take Tim home? The two of you can give me support from home."

"At least take Tigger." Jim hung his head, defeated. His sister was right. Tim wouldn't leave his side and he wouldn't want to leave Tim's after what had happened. And he also refused to let Tim go out on any missions for a time. Jim had to watch over his brother.

"Okay. I'll take Tigger." Kim smiled reassuringly at him. Dr. Lipsky was already calling Wade for a ride for the twins on the Kimmunicator when she looked over.

"_Sorry I won't be coming along._" Kim apologized, meaning every word of it. Haoxian just shook his head.

"_I seem to have many willing volunteers. I am sure Lang and his people would want to aid me, or just use that as an excuse to keep an eye on me._" Haoxian paused, looking very solemn and very sad. "_My most precious came first before anything else. Even my father. I understand what you are going through even if your family and friends do not. But be careful, Kim Possible. If and when the time comes for you to truly choose... choose wisely._"

* * *

The tigress ran as quickly as she could, ignoring the pain that shot through her abdomen as she ran, blood dripping in the pure white of new-fallen snow. She ran as fast as she could, hearing a call not that far in the distance, promising sanctuary. She did the best she could, best she was able to. She was the fastest, the strongest; the undisputed queen of this cold world. Yet here she was, the greatest hunter in these forests, chased down like a dog. Two suns ago, the last of her cubs had fallen in the wake of a loud crack of thunder on a cloudless day. She had tried her best to lead them to safety, towards that voice that called to her, but her children fell, all three of them.

First was her youngest son, mischievous and adventurous. His death warned them of the danger nearby and they had fled.

The second to fall was her eldest daughter. There was that crack of thunder and she stumbled but continued onwards bravely, a red flower blooming across her flank. But she had slowed down and soon another boom sounded off and she stumbled and fell and didn't get up again.

The last to go, her second daughter, big and strong. She followed her mother stubbornly, then had veered off when the hunters got too close and had gotten a lucky shot in on her mother. Roaring a challenge, she had charged into the woods, ducking through trees. The screams of human men and her daughter's snarls and growls echoed through the woods.

Then thunder again, silenced her last daughter.

'Hurt, hurt...' The queen wanted to pause and lick her wound and rest. It hurt so much. But she knew if she stopped, she would never get to safety.

"God DAMN that stupid cat!" Not far behind, the poachers followed along, their way marked by the tiger's trail in the snow. One of their own had gone down in a blaze of orange and black striped fur, claws and fangs. They were hell-bent on taking down the last in this family.

'_No more hurt._' The voice called out to her and she could see an opening, a cavern, in the roots of a giant tree.

'Safe.' Th queen breathed out a sigh, hobbling over so she was just at the entrance of the cavern. That was her last thought as she fell in end over end, feeling so tired, too tired to even try to slow her descent into this seemingly bottomless hole. The pain was too much, the hurt, the loss.

'_You are safe now. I will make sure NO ONE hurts what is mine anymore. My dear child, my child.._' The voice was inside of her now, pulling her away from the pain. She was surrounded by warmth now, as if she was a cub once more, encircled in her mother's warmth and drinking thick, rich milk from her mother's teat.

'_Sleep. I will deal with these men._' The Third flexed razor sharp talons and jumped upwards, clawing footholds into the earth until her bulk was pouring out of the cavern, her golden eyes bright and glowing, lips drawn back in a hateful snarl.

"Holy HELL! Look at the size of that thing! She's like, the size of a fucking truck!" The poacher backed up, rifle pointed directly at the monster tigress that had pulled herself out of the roots of the tree. "The tiger we were tracking wasn't that big!"

"Less talking, more shooting!" As trigger fingers pressed against trigger, the sound of all of their guns jamming sent a cold shiver down their backs. The giant feline, if it was possible, smirked.

'_Children..._' She purred as the first of the tigers arrived. She had been calling her children to her, calling them from wherever they were in this cold region. They were to witness their queen, reborn. And she had prepared a feast for them.

'_Your meal, children. Go... slow. Let them feel your teeth and claws. Let them feel you tearing their insides out. Let them regret ever having laid eyes on our kind. Let them PAY for what they have done to us!_' She roared as her children broke from the woods and trotted towards the small group of poachers, licking their chops.

"No, no, no, get away!"

"ARGHHH! AAhhhAHRR!"

"Fuck! GAHH! FAWWK!"

"God, please, god..."

The Third watched as her children played with their food. Two big males and a large female had gotten here first, but she could feel more of them coming. And... something else. Someone else.

"_I see you need no help from me, your Majesty._" The Third turned to regard the four figures who stood before her, draped in heavy cloaks to ward off the chill. "_Welcome back to wakefulness._"

"_You know me?_" The Third closed her eyes, enjoying the delicious screams that filled the clearing. She flared her nostrils, trying to get the scent of these four. One of them was familiar. The other three were not of any importance, clearly they were this familiar one's people.

"_Sixth._" The Third purred, sounding very much pleased. "_It is indeed, a pleasure._"

The Sixth pulled back her hood, revealing Shego's flawless face, pale and green. Gracefully, she walked over to the large Tiger and reached up to sink her fingers into the thick fringe of fur that surrounded the queen's face. The Third purred, leaning down to rub her head gently on the tiny woman's shoulder.

"_Will you help me? You are the Third and you are powerful._"

"_What do you ask of me, Sixth?_" The Tigress looked down at the small woman, her tail lashed from side to side as she awaited the Sixth's request.

"_The Second is still as soft as ever, but he is awake and he is waiting for us. Help me awaken the rest of us. Destroy any who get in our way._" The Sixth hissed, her voice low and poisonous. "_We shall be the Twelve once again and the First will come to us and hold council._"

"_I will search for my brethren. I have not tracked down game in a long while, this will give me the opportunity to hone my skills once again._" The giant cat purred, deep and low, her eyes narrowed to slits. The screams of the poachers had died down to gurgling whimpers. "_The First cannot possibly deny us justice for what has happened._"

"_No. The First is just._" The Sixth grinned with Shego's face and faced the carnage of blood and guts that the Third's children were feasting on. "_I will leave you to your own devices now, your Majesty. Good hunting._"

The Third answered with a toothy grin of her own. "_Good hunting, Sixth._"

* * *

endnote: Wooooo. Comments, criticisms, questions, wtfs? send 'em my way! :D


	11. The Resurrection of the Sixth

The Resurrection of the Sixth

A Kim Possible Fanfiction

immo

author's note: It just becomes more confusing. Hahahaha. This chapter brings in a much-loved and missing character and goes back to how all of this started, set almost right after Shego's death in 'a few new tricks'. Enjoy!

* * *

They had stolen the resurrective plant, the lingzhi herb from its guardians. Yinchun had hidden nearby as Xaio Qing and Bai Su Zhen fought with the guardians and lead them away from the treasure they were guarding. Yinchun had carefully dug out the plant, wrapped it in moss and fled back to She Cun, back to Shego's body. She was joined a short time later by Xaio Qing and Bai Su Zhen in her flight back to Shego. Upon arrival at the site where the fiery woman had been buried, they immediately started digging at the soft earth, joined by the family of foxes that had been guarding the small area. Watched by an old woman who trusted these creatures to fulfill their promise. The moon and the stars overhead provided enough light for these creatures to work quickly and efficiently, claws scrabbling on wood within a few minutes.

"_Gently, everyone. Gently._" Bai Su Zhen instructed. Yinchun's family hefted the heavy coffin upwards, slowly and carefully. The lacquered box rose from the ground and Grandma Lo let out a shuddering breath, wrapping her cloak tighter around her thin frame. She started, but relaxed when she realized Xaio Qing had placed a hand on her shoulder.

"_I will bring her back._" Xaio Qing promised. "_Everything will be fine._"

"_I... trust you._" Grandma Lo clutched at the hand on her shoulder. She needed to trust their longtime protector. She needed this to be made right.

"_And your trust shall not be misplaced._" Bai Su Zhen pushed the heavy coffin lid off with a flick of her wrist then motined Yinchun forward. The fox was still breathing harshly, winded from her flight back to She Cun. She had the moss-wrapped lingzhi herb clutched gently in her hands and now she unwrapped her precious package carefully.

"_Give it to me._" Red, Yinchun's mother, held out her hands for the herb. As the matriarch of the fox family, she would be overseeing the resurrection. The foxes were an insurance that the snakes had invested in. Traditionally, foxes were creatures that were close to the dead. For Red's family, this was true and Red had educated all her children in biology and phisiology of the animals and humans and to do so, some times they procured cadavers for their studies. All of Red's children had been responsible and furthered their educations themselves, some even managing to get doctorates or apprentice themselves to a healer in their human form. Because Shego's body was so broken, the foxes would have to use all the skills they had to put her together again.

"_Aiya,_" Red clucked her tongue as she looked down at the body. Shego's skin was already a motley grey, limbs stiff with rigor mortis. Shego's funeral clothes did nothing to hide the death wound Xaio Qing had dealt her, since the clothes sunk a bit into the hole in her chest. "_This is going to take a lot of work. Before we apply the herb, we'll have to knit her back together._"

The foxes all crowded around the coffin with Bai Su Zhen at the head of the coffin as a power source.

"_This will not hurt at all. You will feel a... pulling sensation._" Red patted Bai Su Zhen's arm, then held out her hand for the White Snake who placed her hand in the fox's. Fingers intertwining, Red gave a small smile as she felt the White Snake allow her power to flow into the fox.

"_Make it quick._" Bai Su Zhen nodded, eyes locked on Xaio Qing. This was for Xaio Qing and the White Snake wanted her sister to know this. Xaio Qing nodded timidly, acknowledging Bai Su Zhen's gaze and the unspoken words between them.

"_Ready?_" Red looked around at all her children, the family looking very much like a surgical unit preparing to operate on a body. The human faces her children wore watched her attentively and nodded. "_I will act as a conduit to Lady Bai Su Zhen. Work quickly, children, but be careful._"

"_Yes, mother._" They replied in unison, immediately moving to work. Red tails wrapped around their neighbour's leg, making a chain that connected them to their mother yet left their hands free. Rubbing their hands together, the family exchanged eager looks before lifting the body up carefully so they could put the lip back on the coffin. The body was then set on top of the box carefully, so it served as a sort of operating table. Now, their hands were on the body, pulling, pressing and kneading. Treating Shego's body like dough, leaving not an inch of skin untouched as they urged the body to loosen up. They flipped her body over and over until the stiffness was gone, then they started pressing fingers into her wounds inquisitively.

"_That I will work on. Concentrate on her other injuries._" Red said when she noticed her children hovering over the gaping hole in Shego's chest. They nodded their assent and passed over the deathblow to take inventory of Shego's cuts and bruises, feeling for shattered and broken bones and setting them back in to place.

"_M'lady, please keep your hand on my shoulder._" It hadn't taken the foxes more than ten minutes or so to prepare the body for the herb's reception and they all watched their mother attentively as she worked and told them what she was doing so they could learn this procedure.

"_Children, you might not come across this ever again but pay close attention, for you never know._" Red took the plant in her hands and held it out for the foxes to look at. "_The lingzhi herb MUST be harvested with roots intact in this kind of situation. For deaths where the body is intact--for example, drownings, blunt trauma--the roots will not be necessary. I recommend that all harvesting of the plant include the roots, though._"

Red very carefully placed the root inside of the hollow. It was almost imperceptible, but over Red's shoulder, Bai Su Zhen could see the roots... wriggling. As if coming awake slowly. The loud gasp from one of Red's children told Lady White Snake that her eyes were not lying to her, that the plant was moving on its own. The roots stretched, anchoring itself in the center of Shego's chest, sending out more roots until a mass of vegetation filled the hole completely.

"_Now. If you please, my lady._" Red backed away and watched the White Snake place a hand over the place where Shego's heart should have been.

"Ahh!" Bai Su Zhen winced as the plant immediately sensed her and started tapping in to her as an energy source. While the foxes were the technicians, Lady White Snake provided power in this operation.

"_Watch how the plant is molting and its roots are growing and weaving together,_" Red pointed out to her sons and daughters. "_That will thicken and start changing to flesh. Then the plant will suck up more energy for one big jolt to revitalize the dead cells in her body... there should be a large text on this at home. I am unsure of where I have placed it though..._"

Lady White Snake clenched her teeth together and sucked air into her lungs, trying to drown out the sensation of the lingzhi plant with the sound of the air, hissing in and out between her teeth. The sensation was very much like the feel of string dragging through your skin when one was getting sewn up after an accident. Except this dragging and pulling sensation came from right in the centre of Bai Su Zhen's body.

'The discomfort, however, is multiplied by a hundred. Just like when I was bringing my husband back...' Bai Su Zhen thought grimly. 'Just... do... not... vomit...'

All of a sudden, Shego bolted upright, ripping apart the connection she had with Bai Su Zhen, her flailing arms knocking the already unbalanced woman to the ground. Coughing and hacking up black stuff, she threw herself from the top of the coffin to hang over the side of her grave, gagging and dry-heaving into the hole.

"_Um..._" Red blinked, looking around at her children who had all backed up in alarm when Shego had come back to life so suddenly and violently. "_Well... I am pretty sure that that should not have happened..._"

"_What's wrong with her?_" Grandma Lo was on her feet and running to Shego's side, panicking as she watched the strong woman she knew choking on the bile that she was trying to empty from her body.

"_Get down!_" Xaio Qing had smelled that distinct scent of Shego's plasma and knew the green-skinned woman was powering up. The Green Snake got to Grandma Lo just in time, covering the elderly woman with her body as Shego let out a blood-curdling scream and she was a supernova of green heat, burning and engulfing everything around her. The output of so much energy scorched the earth in a 3-foot radius around her. If Xaio Qing hadn't acted quickly, Lo po-po would have been a scorch mark on the ground.

"_Who are you?_" Shego snarled in a scratchy-whispery voice, her eyes rolling wildly. She was crouched in a fighting stance, poised to attack at any moment. Though she looked battle-ready, Shego's breathing was quick and shallow, her whole body shaking like a leaf.

"Shego," Xaio Qing got to her feet quickly and spoke English, hoping it would calm her once-disciple. "Shego, Shego. Be calm. I mean you no harm."

The words seemed to do the trick as the plasma-wielding villainess focused on the Green Snake. Gulping in air like a dying fish, Shego blinked rapidly, eyes locked on Xaio Qing. Then she reached out her hand to the woman and Xaio Qing darted forward to take Shego into her arms. As soon as she did that though, she stiffened in Shego's arms, noting right away the difference. Unable to move or pull away, Shego's hand cupped the nape of Xaio Qing's neck, pulling her closer.

"_Child..._" Shego's breathy whisper sent shivers down the Green Snake's spine. "_I am not the one called Shego._"

Xaio Qing let out a low whimper as the hand tightened on her neck. Bai Su Zhen took a couple of steps forward, alarmed by the sound coming from her sister.

"_How long have I been asleep?_" Shego's strange voice was a tortured whisper, eyes now locked on the White Snake. "_How long have I been buried here?_"

"_Who are you?_" Lady White Snake immediately sensed it, flowing off of this woman in waves. Power. And the source didn't seem to have any limit to it. It was... somehow familiar, though.

Shego chuckled wearily, humourlessly. Her hold on Xaio Qing loosened and the Green Snake finally broke free of Shego's hold and ran in to Bai Su Zhen's arms, fearful of the power she had felt.

"_It saddens me that my own children do not know who I am._" Shego sighed, looking up at the moon, studying the skies and the stars with wonder. "_I must have been gone a long time for my own children to forget who I am._"

"_I do not know who you are, but I am this close to ripping you apart for scaring my sister._" Bai Su Zhen held Xaio Qing posessively, stroking the back of the other snake's head in a calming gesture. Her threats were empty. She knew it, this stranger knew it. Shego threw her head back and laughed in amusement.

"_Know me, then. I am the Sixth._" The person who was not Shego announced. "_You have woken me. And for that, I am grateful._"

"_Shego._" Grandma Lo hobbled forward briskly, eyes trained on that mangled, familiar face.

"_I am not._" A trace of annoyance entered Shego's voice. "_I am the Sixth. One of the Twelve. Where are my brethren? Do they still slumber?_"

"_Lady,_" Yinchun laughed, shaking her head. Unbelievable! They went through all of that, stealing the lingzhi herb, to resurrect the wrong person! Because that was the only logical explanation, that they had gotten the wrong person. "_I think I speak for everyone here when I say we have NO idea what the hell you're talking about!_"

Frustrated, the Sixth frowned. "_The Twelve. Did the hunters manage to capture all of my brethren?_"

"_Who?_" Another one of the foxes asked, confused.

"_The Twelve!_" The Sixth shouted out in exasperation. "_I am the Sixth! The Snake!_"

"_The Animals._" Grandma Lo's voice brought silence as all attention focused on her. "_The First is the Rat. Then the Ox. Followed by the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon... the Snake. You're the Sixth in the zodiac race. But... that's just a story. It's not real._"

"_We are very much real. Now, I cannot waste time standing here trying to convince you of our existence. I need to find my brothers and sisters._" The Sixth turned away from the direction of She Cun to the forest but before she could take more than two steps, she stumbled to the ground, painful seizures rendering her powerless. The foxes and Grandma Lo immediately sprang forward to the woman, not knowing what was happening but trying to help.

"_What's happening to her?_" Tears squeezed out of the corners of the old woman's eyes.

"_We... we do not know._" Red said apologetically, sweating a bit at the thought of how unhappy the snakes would be after they got over the shock of Shego coming back not quite Shego and how they would probably blame the fox matriarch for this.

"Kimmie." The familiar voice barking out that familiar name made everyone freeze as Shego braced herself up off the ground, looking up at the snakes. "Where's Kim?"

"Shego!" Xaio Qing's face lit up with happiness, knowing instinctively that this was truly Shego. Then... what was that talk of the Sixth from before? Before any questions could be asked though, Bai Su Zhen had moved forward, chopping down on the back of Shego's head swiftly. The green-skinned woman fell to the ground, knocked out.

"_Why did you do that?_" Grandma Lo asked, falling to her knees in front of Shego's prone body.

"_Something is wrong._" Bai Su Zhen pointed to several foxes. "_You four. Carry her back to our home at Er Mei. Quickly!_"

Before Grandma Lo could ask more questions, the White Snake spun to face the old woman. "_You are not to speak of this to anyone. Do not tell anybody what has happened here, until we figure what is wrong. Go._"

Bai Su Zhen swept out of the clearing, taking Xaio Qing with her and leaving a few foxes to take Lo po-po back to the village. The graveyard was quickly deserted, leaving only an empty coffin and a deep hole that used to hold a woman named Shego.

* * *

"Shego." The green-skinned woman jumped a bit at the sound of Xaio Qing's voice. The Green Snake winced at the reaction she got, knowing exactly why the woman jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Sorry." Shego muttered, apologizing even though she knew she didn't have to. Cursed herself inwardly for beingso afraid of her master. But she remembered how it had felt when Xaio Qing had punched her fist through her chest. Ripped her heart out and ground it to a bloody pulp.

"No." Xaio Qing fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, swaying at the threshold of the doorway. "I should be the one saying sorry."

Shego chuckled. "Well... I guess the reasonable thing for me to say is 'you're forgiven', isn't it?"

They both knew it was going to be harder than that. Shego had been dead, but now she was alive again. She was even starting to shed her scales and healthy soft green skin below told them she was changing back to human again. Silence reigned in between them again before Xaio Qing chose to speak again.

"But I am not. Forgiven, that is." Xaio Qing smiled sadly at Shego. Sitting in the middle of the bed, the woman looked so... small. So fragile. Xaio Qing had completely lost it on this brilliant woman, taken out years and years of anger, frustration and loneliness on this woman's body. Killed her with the weight of all of it.

"It is fine." Xaio Qing reasurred when she saw the woman try to reply to the Green Snake. "You do not need to, I do not deserve it. I betrayed your trust completely. But Shego, you know, I will do everything I can to make it up to you."

Shego gave her master a strained smile. "I know."

"Soon as we find out what is wrong with you, you may leave." Bai Su Zhen suddenly appeared interrupting the two. She brushed past Xaio Qing with a tray of food, entering the room. The Green Snake still hovered near the door, unsure of what to do with herself, waiting for Shego's permission to enter. But Shego never gave it. And after a while of standing by the door, Xaio Qing left wordlessly.

"You know, she IS sorry." Bai Su Zhen's familiarity with Shego, borne of her time disguised as Ting Ting, Vince's young daughter, let her speak freely with Shego.

"She killed me." Shego said defensively. "You expect it all to go away?"

"Why should it not?" Bai Su Zhen placed the tray gently on the bed. A simple fare of congee and vegetables. Nothing too heavy, since Bai Su Zhen and Red were convinced that there was something wrong with Shego still and didn't want to put unnececessary stress on the newly-resurrected body. "You are alive again. Things have been made right."

Shego looked at Bai Su Zhen incredulously. "You seriously don't know why we're like this, do you?"

"Then why do you not explain it to me?" The White Snake asked impatiently. "It is difficult for me to watch you two like this. Xaio Qing is not feeling good about this--"

"I'm glad she's not." Shego ground out. "You don't understand. She HAS to go through this. She betrayed my trust and hurt me. She understands that and she's trying to make it better and I'm letting her try. That's the best we can do right now and if I just laugh and brush it off, it'll never be better."

Bai Su Zhen just scoffed and shook her head.

"Lets compare it with you and ah Cheung, howabout that? Do you think if you gave him back his daughter, that would solve everything?"

The White Snake paused, then shook her head slowly.

"You know why? That's just like sweeping things under the carpet. Underneath it all, the dirt is still there. You need to fix it first." Shego pointed out quietly. "If I forgave her now, it'll just be superficial. She'll know that I didn't really mean it."

Bai Su Zhen nodded grudgingly, feeling a little bit jealous of the relationship Shego and Xaio Qing had. They were obviously close enough to have these kinds of subtleties in their relationship and were trying to heal on their own. Bai Su Zhen would've liked to continue this conversation, to learn further from this interesting human, but a knock at the door stopped them.

"Excuse me," Red stood at the door with Yinchun and several of her more talented fox-children. "Would it be alright for us to start the session now?"

"Come in." Shego smiled at the fox family. They were a welcome distraction from the heaviness the snakes brought. That and the snakes made something inside of her... move. It was a sleepy movement, as if whatever it was woke up a bit every time the snakes came near...

"Were you eating?" Yinchun was on the bed in an instant, looking at Shego's meal curiously. "Is it good?"

"I haven't tried." Shego picked up the porcelain spoon and took a bite of her congee, smiling a bit at the taste, suddenly remembering Kim. Her first day in She Cun, Kim had tried her hand at making congee and the look of disappointment on her face when she had taken a bite of the bland rice porridge had been priceless.

"Is it good?" Yinchun noted the smile on Shego's face. "Can I try?"

"Yinchun!" Red scolded. "She is sick!"

"Not REALLY sick." Yinchun rolled her eyes at her mother.

Red huffed, ignoring her daughter's reply. Bai Su Zhen gracefully gave up her spot so Red could sit next to Shego and fuss over her as the green-skinned woman ate.

"How do you feel?" Red asked patiently.

"Fine."

"Eating okay?"

"Yeah."

Red's eyebrow twitched. "Bodily functions?"

"Alright."

"Sleeping well?"

"Actually..." Shego's hesitant reply drew everybody's attention. "I've been having weird dreams..."

"What?" Red leaned forward. "Since when?"

"Since I started sleeping again." Shego pushed her food tray away and one of the foxes gave a quick wave, magicking it away. "I thought it was just, you know, because of how I died and when I got back... but I've been having sort of the same dream every time I fall asleep. Not like, the same, but some things are the same."

"Like what?"

Shego twisted the sheets in her fists, frowning. "A snake keeps appearing in my dreams. And she calls herself the Sixth and she talks to me every night. And it's really annoying, but recently she's been up even when I'm not asleep and she's been giving me background commentary on everything. It's like a voice at the back of my head."

The people around Shego fell quiet, unnoticed by the bedridden villainess who continued talking. "At first, she just wanted to know how long she had been asleep, but I didn't know what she was talking about. So she asked me what date it was and I told her and she seemed even more confused. Then she asked me about Bai Su Zhen and Xaio Qing and she calls me her 'Avatar'."

Bai Su Zhen leaned forward unconsciously. "Her Avatar?"

"Yeah."

"What else?" Yinchun frowned at this, exchanging looks with her brothers and sisters. They had been discussing the possibility that they did something wrong during the resurrection, possibly her brain had been dead for far too long for the lingzhi plant to have worked. But their mother had been adamant in the plant's power. It would bring back a person from death within a certain window of time. And with the foxes' help in chasing death's effects away from the body's limbs, it should have worked PERFECTLY.

"She told me to tell all of you a story. And then tell you what she has planned." Shego looked around the room. "Could you call Xaio Qing in? She needs to hear this too."

One of the foxes left to find the Green Snake. Within a few minutes, Xaio Qing had hurried into the room, distraught.

"Are you okay?" Xaio Qing flew to the bed, grabbing Shego's hand and folding it in both of her own, ignoring the sight of Shego's eyes widening a bit in fear, her own fear over Shego's well-being overruling any kind of reservations.

"She is fine, love." Bai Su Zhen soothed, dragging Xaio Qing away from a visibly uncomfortable Shego. "She just has a story to tell us."

"Oh." Xaio Qing's cheeks tinged pink in embarassment. "That is all?"

"That, and the Sixth has a message for us."

"Oh?" Xaio Qing settled down in her elder sister's arms. "The Sixth? I thought we said she was dellusional."

"Excuse me, I'm sitting right here." Shego eyed Xaio Qing dryly.

"Oh. Sorry."

"There's alot of that going around, isn't there? Sorries." Shego scoffed, regretting it almost immediately when she saw a hurt look flash across Xaio Qing's face. She quickly tried to cover it with an earnest smile though, which made Shego feel even worse.

"Well, please, start with your story."

Shego nodded, looking around at all present. Everybody in the room had settled on her huge bed and it resembled a slumber party. Shego sighed and shook her head, a little bit amused at how ridiculous she looked surrounded by good looking men and women. It was like she was a sultan in a harem.

"You've all heard the story of the race? How the zodiac animals took their place?" Everybody nodded. "Well, the Sixth said there were two stories: one that the public had popularized. And the true story behind it all, which is the one she wants me to tell.

"Long ago, long before humans started living in mud huts, the Sixth said a star fell down from the sky. The animals saw it falling and they were all afraid cuz when it hit it triggered an earthquake and the dust the star had kicked up blocked out the sun for a couple of days. The animals ran from the confusion, all except eleven animals who went to investigate and find out what was going on because they could hear it singing to them."

"Singing to them?" Xaio Qing blinked. "It was alive?"

"It was very much alive."

"Hey, how come there were only eleven animals?" Yinchun pointed out the error in the story.

Shego frowned, trying to remember what the Sixth had told her while the Sixth chattered in her head. It felt... really crowded in her brain. "She said it was because the Fifth came from the stone. But he had left it to investigate the land and make himself a body. He hadn't expected animals to be attracted to the stone and come looking for it so when he came back, he was the Fifth to touch the stone."

Everybody fell silent again as the story continued.

"The fallen star had landed deep in a mountain, surrounded by a raging river that was difficult for many animals to cross. However, the first to arrive was a small rodent. The Sixth doesn't even remember if it was a mouse or a rat, but it was First. That was all that mattered. It arrived, riding on top of an inquisitive water buffalo's head. The rat, being better able to see in the dark, found the stone within the mountain first and approached this glowing star that had fallen from the sky. It was the first to touch the star, to better smell this star. The water buffalo, this Ox, took much longer to find this stone in the dark and his companion and was curious to see that the animal had frozen to the spot; the glow from the stone had enveloped the First. The buffalo moved forward and also touched his nose to the stone and was stuck to the stone. He was the Second.

"The Third was a Tiger, who's territory included the mountain. Maybe a bit too brave, it sought out the disturbance and quickly became stuck to the rock too when she tried to smack the glowing stone with her paw. Next, came a rabbit, who had barely made it across the river. There are some truths in the popularized version: The Rabbit did have help becoming the Fourth. The tiny animal crossed the river by jumping from stone to stone, but had slipped into the river and managed to grab hold of a floating branch to keep from drowning. The Fifth had been flying along when it happened upon the Rabbit, and he blew it across the river to the mountain."

Shego could feel something stealing over her as she told the story, wasn't at all surprised when HER voice overlapped with her own and they spoke in unison as ONE.

"And the Twelve were formed like this, the Sixth - the Snake, taking a page out of the First's book, arrived hidden upon the Seventh, the Horse. The Ram, a hardy animal, made it to be the Eighth with help from the Monkey and the Rooster who took the title of Ninth and Tenth, respectively. The stone had just enough room around it for the Dog and finally, the Pig to join the Twelve."

The otherfolk in the room all stared at Shego, the voices coming out of her mouth made the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end. In fact, one of the foxes who had not opted for human form had all his hackles raised.

"That is... like how you and your brothers gained your powers. From a falling star." Xaio Qing remembered when Shego had told her that story, how she got the ability to light up at will. A meteor had come crashing down through their treehouse, changing the lives of Shego and her siblings forever.

"Almost exactly like it," Shego/Sixth nodded. "The nature of the power is actually quite similar, it's just that while my brothers and I specialized in certain powers, the Twelve could change the world with theirs. They were able to affect things on a whole different level."

"So what does the Sixth want?" Yinchun's question turned heads. The fox watched Shego suspiciously. "Are you listening to me, Snake, or the Sixth or whatever you're calling yourself? What do you want?"

Shego's face seemed to change as it flattened out into an unreadable expression. Shego was no longer at the wheel, apparent in the singular voice that came out of Shego's throat. The same voice from the night before. "_I want to find my brethren. We have... much to do. But I feel... so weak right now. How is it that I do not have full control of this body? Did you not kill her at the site of my prison? Did you kill her somewhere else and wait too long to bring the body to me? How did you know to free me if you did not know of me?_"

While Xaio Qing bristled at the way the Sixth had casually asked about killing Shego, Red answered the question. "_Shego was dead, had already been dead for a good few days. We used the lingzhi herb to resurrect her._"

"_That would explain a lot._" The Sixth sighed.

"_I do not understand..._"

"_Let me continue the story. We worked, the Twelve of us, for the betterment of all. We had these powers and we... understood. Everything. And nothing all at once. We wanted to make it better. So we decided that since we had the power, we would do something about it. But the Twelve of us knew that we would be stretched too thin. So we bestowed power onto those that sought it, for those are the ones we thought, would help change the world._"

"_That's stupid._" Yinchun scoffed, winced a bit when her mother smacked her shoulder, scandalized at how rude her daughter was being. That didn't stop Yinchun from continuing on her speel, though. "_Didn't you even think that the people who seek power could be corrupt? That they might use it for their own benefit and not for those of the whole?_"

"_We were... naive. We found out quickly and made it harder. But should not what is precious be shared? We could not keep it from others, so we made the rules more stringent, the process would not be easy on the impatient, nor would it be conceivable to those with less than honourable intentions._" The Sixth smiled a bit now. "_And it worked for a time. Humans noticed the difference right away. The more impatient, the ones who wanted their wants satisfied immediately plotted quietly, just below our radar. We did not know what was happening until the first amongst us was taken. The Fifth was the first one... he was key, since he came from the star that gave us power. His own sons were used against him and he could not raise a hand against them. Then we all started falling._"

Shego's hands had burst into flames at the thought of the first of them being taken. With effort, she quelled the eerie green flames and patted out the small embers on the cuffs of her simple white shirt absentmindedly.

"_We were ripped from our bodies, or, in some cases, our bodies were made our own prisons._" It took effort to control Shego's flames from lighting up her hands again as the emotions the Sixth was feeling danced across her Avatar's face. "_To free us, we needed our Avatars to come for us, but those that represent us are far and few in between. And for them to reside near us in their short lives... well... the chances were low, even for the ages we were imprisoned. Our Avatars had to give up their life for us. Just temporarily, of course, we would not want to harm our own. We would pull them away from that place between life and death and have them carry us in their bodies. But the ideal condition was that we stepped in when they were dying... not when they were born or being resurrected. Shego was not dying when I stepped into her body, she was coming back to life..._"

"_So what does that mean for Shego?_" One of the foxes asked, taking notes with a pen and a notepad. This fox was more interested in his patient and was not at all happy with what should've been a perfect operation, turning into a disaster like this!

"_It means that she takes the reins some times. And some times I do. But regardless of who is controlling at the moment and who is remaining dormant, we are both awake and aware of what is happening. If my awakening had happened as it should have, my Avatar would be sleeping soundly inside me and I would have absolute control._" The Sixth grimaced at that, not liking the thought of sharing, even though the body wasn't hers. "_It would be difficult for me to find all of the Twelve in time._"

Red perked up, the last words were a tad too ominous for her liking. "_In time? In time for what?_"

"_When we are together in one body, conscious in this one body, we burn the lifeforce of the body quicker. I could lessen the damage by not using too much of her fire or my power and let her take charge of this body as much as possible, but this is just a short term solution to the problem. I need to find the Twelve in time to stop her from dying again._" An explosion of questions was expected and came from all around. It quickly died down when the Sixth raised her hand, trying to get everyone's attention again. "_With those conservation efforts in effect, we will be burning the minimum amount of her life and I could stay safely inside this body for around... two passings of the seasons, it only becomes dangerous if I stay in this body past the second winter. If I could awaken the Twelve in time, everything would be alright. Shego will have her life restored to her and her body back and I will be in my own. She is basically just carrying me for a short time. So I will need some help._"

"_What will you do when you get your body back? What will the Twelve do?_" It seemed the foxes were asking all the smart questions. All of Mama Fox's children were sharp as a tack as the Sixth paused, the quiet rested heavily on everybody as Shego's face turned rageful and her hands twisted in the sheets covering her body.

"_We will destroy those that imprisoned us. We shall find the traitors and show no mercy._" The Sixth smiled thinly. "_We shall bathe the world in fire and deliver a harsh blow to this selfish race that does nothing but consume and spread misery to all who encounter them._"

The silence after this announcement was impossibly loud.

"_Woah._" One of Red's sons breathed out.

"_I don't think Shego would like that._" Yinchun pointed out. "_You know. Destroying the world. Even as a self-professed bad-guy, I don't think she agrees with mass-destruction and genocide._"

"_She does not, but she has already agreed, in exchange for a few exceptions to my rule. She knows we can do this the hard way, or the easy way. Either path leads to what I want. And my children,_" The Sixth looked pointedly at Xaio Qing and Bai Su Zhen. "_Will make sure she stays on the path I plan to take._"

"_I do not think Shego would want me to help you._" Xaio Qing had a petulant look on her face that melted away at the soft touch of Shego's hand. The Sixth smiled at her kindly with Shego's face.

"_But you will do it any ways, because she will die if the Twelve do not awaken._" The Sixth smiled apologetically to Xaio Qing. "_I am sorry, my child. But you also have no choice in this matter. As for your sister--_"

"_You already know where my sister goes, I go._" Bai Su Zhen was grudgingly respectful of the Sixth's wiliness. "_We have a choice, but our choices have already been shaped by you._"

"_I also need... a healer._" The Sixth looked over at the foxes, her eyes settling on Yinchun's face, the fox's chin lifted defiantly in the face of the predator staring at her. "_You. Girl._"

"_And why should I help YOU?_" Yinchun's lip was pulled up slightly in a sneer. Yinchun knew that humanity had their faults, but what the Snake was suggesting would be devastating to this inventive race. The young Yinchun would not do it! The Sixth seemed to know exactly what she was thinking and tilted her head to the side, smiling at the fox. Then she turned her attention to Yinchun's mother.

"_I will not tolerate disrespect from your children. And though she might not understand what I am capable of, I am sure you do._" The Sixth spoke matter-of-factly. "_My Avatar and my children look kindly upon your family and you have garnered their good-will, which leeches into my consciousness. Do not make me make an example out of you, Mrs. Fox._"

Yinchun recognized the threat behind the soft-spoken voice and almost wanted to give a retort, to stand up to this bully, but one of her brothers' hand on her arm stilled her.

"_My apologies,_" Red shot her daughter a glance that pleaded with her to hold her tongue. Keeping her fear in check to coolly answer the Sixth. "_She will go with you and help you along the way. She has always been a difficult child to discipline._"

Yinchun was about to protest again, but this time, one of her younger sisters clutched at her other arm. While Yinchun had lived at Er Mei, she had been the favoured of the mistress of Er Mei and thus, immune to her wrath. While she had lived a life away from home, she learned how to protect herself from the world of men, but feared nothing and no-one. There were no rules set for her and her favoured status made the foxes the favoured family on Er Mei and they became an extension of the snakes' will. Yinchun's siblings, the ones who had stayed at Er Mei lived carefree lives, knew that they only had one rule to follow: listen to the snakes. They had been raised on stories of the snakes eating unruly otherfolk and some of them had seen first-hand, Xaio Qing do just that. The snakes made no idle threats. They were real and concrete warnings to be listened to. And though they had never heard a snake command their favoured sister, they knew this first time, she should listen. Everyone waited with bated breath and let it out when that heavy presence drained away.

"She's gone." Shego croaked out, blinking rapidly. The feeling of being back in the driver's seat again was... rough. The feeling of someone using her body was like running a marathon up a tower. Shego felt winded and weak... and she hated it. "We won't be leaving soon... I... have to... rest."

That was the cue for the foxes to file out, many of the young ones pushing Yinchun out of the room to stop her from saying anything stupid. The only people left were Xaio Qing, Bai Su Zhen and Red.

"Tell... Yinchun to behave." Shego said seriously to Red. "I... can't hold... her back."

Red nodded, knowing that the Sixth lurked just below the surface. "I am sorry. She has always been headstrong."

"She will not be hurt." Xaio Qing said stubbornly. "Do not worry. I will not allow--"

"It's not for you to say." Shego ground out, feeling the Snake's attention on Xaio Qing. "If the Sixth wants her dead, she will be. You need to learn and she needs to learn that you're not not in charge any more. She has to behave. And Xaio Qing, you will _BEHAVE_."

"Understood." Red nodded, knowing better than to talk back. Xaio Qing felt a trickle of fear run through her veins, a little bit stunned as the word compelled her to do just that. She turned to Red, gaped at the fox mother. Was this how the otherfolk felt when she commanded them? Threatened them? She did NOT like this feeling.

"Ugh..." Shego squeezed her eyes shut and doubled over in pain. Her white shirt was slowly being spotted with blood.

"Shego!" Xaio Qing and Red both flew to the woman's side as the shirt was beginning to turn red, the front and the back of Shego's shirt blooming with the colour. "What is happening?"

"She should not have exerted herself." Red held out her hand to Bai Su Zhen and the White Snake immediately entwined her fingers in Red's. Anchored to the power source, Red placed her hand over Shego's chest, feeling Shego's body pull the power in to fix herself.

"This is the best way." Red spoke softly as Shego closed her eyes and breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, slow and deep. "Her wound is barely fixed, having two inside one body takes a toll on said body. With this treatment, her body can pull on Mistress Bai Su Zhen's powers instead of it's own reserve. That would give her even more time. And she will need this extra time to heal, since as her doctor, I would not recommend she do anything besides resting for a good long while."

After stabilizing Shego's condition, Red stripped Shego of her shirt and threw it over her shoulder. Quickly magicking another shirt to her side, Red dressed Shego again. As she was being tucked in, the green-skinned villainess, who looked paler than usual, clutched at Bai Su Zhen's sleeve.

"I need to speak with you."

The White Snake nodded and waved Xaio Qing and Red out of the room. Once they had left, the White Snake sat beside Shego and brushed a hand tenderly across Shego's forehead. She noted with satisfaction that the scales Shego had grown for her transformation was shedding away, green-coloured human skin apparent underneath. Her anatomy was shifting back to that of a human. How much could a body take? How many transformations, metamorphoses, transfigurations could this body undertake? How could a human mind cope with so many changes to it's body?

"Are you alright?"

Shego smiled weakly. "I need you to do something for me."

"Straight to the point, I see. Very well. What might I do for you?"

"For me, not for the Sixth." Shego fidgeted. The White Snake gave a slow dip of her head, giving Shego the go-ahead to continue. "I want you to... keep... Kim Possible away."

"Would you not want to see her?" Bai Su Zhen was a tad bit surprised. She had thought the two were lovers.

"It's too dangerous." Shego shook her head, blinking rapidly again. The White Snake wasn't sure, but she thought she saw tears. "I can't put her through this shit again. I need her far away where she can't get hurt."

"She will try to find you." Bai Su Zhen was sure of this. "If she finds out--"

"Who's going to tell her?" Shego suddenly frowned. "I remember... seeing Lo po-po.."

"She was there when we brought you back."

"Make sure she keeps this a secret."

"We told her to already."

"Tell her, for my sakes, not to let them bring in Kimmie." Shego pleaded. "If she sees me... and what we're going to do..."

"I will not." Bai Su Zhen reassured. "I will bring Lo po-po here and you can speak to her directly, she will be more cooperative if she hears this from you."

"She doesn't trust you two much, hm?" Shego smirked. "That old woman has absolutely no fear."

"She says she is old and will die soon, so she fears nothing." The White Snake smiled humorously. "My descendants are more like my sister than like me. They are fearless."

"They're something else." Shego wheezed, laughing a bit. Bai Su Zhen sat down at Shego's side, studying the green-skinned woman. What was so special about this green-eyed woman that her descendants and her sister loved her so?

"What if what we do attracts her attention?" Bai Su Zhen asked inquisitively. "What will we do?"

"She'll come looking." Shego grimaced. "I want her safe."

"I will tell Mrs. Fox that if we have any... guests... she should do well to keep them here and away from us." The White Snake nodded. "Now please, rest. You are tired."

"Yes." Shego agreed breathlessly as the snake demon tucked her in. By the time Shego's head hit the pillow, she was already out like a light. Bai Su Zhen leaned forward hesitantly, then placed a kiss on the woman's forehead. This green-skinned being's emotions, underneath that tough exterior, was endearing. Pulling back from Shego, the White Snake froze at the sight of Shego's eyes, half-lidded, watching her.

Except, Bai Su Zhen knew it wasn't Shego watching her. Backing up to the door with the Sixth watching her, the White Snake gave a low, respectful bow at the doorway before closing the door silently.

What had they gotten themselves into?

* * *

endnote: What have THEY gotten themselves into? What have *I* gotten myself into! This is turning out into a fic of epic proportions! I don't got time for this! lol.


	12. The Eighth and the Keys

The Eighth and the Keys

A Kim Possible Fanfiction

immo

author's note: Ahahahaha... I actually had this lying around my harddrive for a month or so, looking it over. Here you go, guys. Hopefully my next update won't take as long. Sorry.

* * *

"_What do we do first_?" The room's occupants was comprised of Nam Ho and a couple of his monks who had volunteered to accompany Haoxian in his search; and Lang and his people. They all sat in a large room in the monastery that the monks used for meetings. Chinese would be the language of choice for this assembly since the majority of people in the room didn't know a word of English. Ron, Rufus and Monique used their translator earpieces and had no problems understanding what was going on. It was only when they spoke that the Chinese people who knew English in the room had to scramble to translate for their compatriots who were in the dark.

"_We find my brothers' keys._" Lang held out his sword. "_This is my key... and now that I have awakened, it no longer has power over me. We find my brothers' keys, then we go back to Lang's village. The proximity of the keys will help them escape and giving them their keys will fully awaken them._"

"_Are... my family in danger?_" Lang asked the question that was on all his people's minds. Knowing now that a body-snatcher was head of their village was unnerving. Knowing how he snatched bodies broke Lang's heart and all the hope he had of having back the father he had as a child died the instant he couldn't keep denying the truth of Lang's words.

"_They might be._" Haoxian didn't try to hide the truth from them. "_He knows that I know. And he probably expects me to tell all of you._"

"_Then we have to go back._" Lang pounded a fist on the table while the rest of the hunters murmured their agreement. "_We might have left the village, but our families are back there. My... mother's back there._"

"We can't go back now." Ron's statement brought on an explosion of outrage from the hunters but he silenced them with what he said next. "Think about it: Haoxian said this bodysnatcher thing draws his power form Haoxian's brothers and even Haoxian hasn't made a direct attack on the village yet, even though he's free. That thing ran away yesterday but Haoxian didn't go after him. If we go back now, we'll be fighting on his terms and we'll probably lose."

Haoxian nodded, impressed with the young man's insight. "_He can channel more of my brothers' powers the closer he gets to the village. In the village itself, he is invincible. Against the combination of my brothers' powers... I would not be able to win. That was how we fell, one by one._"

"How'd they get your keys in the first place?" Monique asked curiously. "I mean, if y'all are so powerful, how'd you get caught?"

"_Our most precious things were used against us. They caught us because we, the nine children of the Fifth, succumbed to our weaknesses._" Haoxian's voice was emotionless as he spoke. "_We all had something we held dearer than life. My most precious thing was my lover,_" Haoxian drew his sword and moved it this way and that so the blade would catch the light from the candles that brightened the room. The expression on his face was surprisingly soft and open. "_And this was my lover's sword._"

Haoxian sheathed his sword again, all business once more, the fragility he had shown before, completely gone. "_I am Haoxian. I have eight brothers and they are Yazi, Chiwen, Baxia, Pulao, Bixi, Qiuniu, Suanmi and Jiaotu. Their keys will not be the same as mine and are most likely items that their most-precious owned or that item itself was their most precious thing. To fight Master Heen, we would need all of my brothers' keys in our possession. When they are no longer imprisoned, we can fight him together._"

"Lets do this, then!" Ron rubbed his hands together, enthusiastic at the idea. Monique could see right through him, though. Had seen him crying after that big blow-out with Kim. Ron hadn't even been around to see Kim, Drakken and Tigger leave on the cerulean man's UFO. In fact, it seemed like he had completely blocked out the event and was choosing to ignore Kim and whatever she was doing.

"_Where do we start?_" Ka Yi, Lang's second-in-command asked.

"I think we'll need some help on this." Monique announced, then paused, waiting for the people who knew English to prepare to translate to their friends. "We're gonna be looking for... antiques, right? Old things, maybe a sword--"

" _--or a vase. Or ANYTHING actually. But antiquities would be the right direction to look, these keys will be old and most likely of Chinese origin. Since the keys are either something that belonged to our most precious or something that was their most precious, it would most likely have something to do with what they loved._" Haoxian placed an unconscious hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Wade," Monique pulled out her kimmunicator, the boy-genius immediately appearing on screen with a wave. "Got a minute?"

"How can I help?" Wade smiled brightly, typing away at his computer. "We're looking for antiquities. Chinese origin, the older the better. Maybe a list of things from museums and private collectors? ...that was kinda broad, wasn't it?"

Wade frowned a bit, looking off to another screen and continued typing away furiously. "That's A LOT broad, Monique. Can we narrow it down? Like what are you looking for specifically?"

"What is this thing you have?" Haoxian looked over Monique's shoulder at the device in her hand. "How odd. There is a little man inside. You humans are so inventive."

"Hey." Wade chuckled humorously at the otherfolk's curiosity.

"So you are looking for specifics?" Haoxian blinked slowly, head tilted to the side, deep in thought. "Their keys might have something to do with what they loved doing, since I do remember meeting my lover while I was doing what I loved best. It has been so long ago and being awake meant time eroded my memory of my siblings' most precious things--"

"_How could you forget them?_" One hunter sniped. "_Eight objects aren't that hard to remember._"

Haoxian paused, his expression hadn't changed at all, but the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped several degrees as the son of the Fifth answered the hunter.

"_I was too busy making sure I did not forget my most important one. Because of the nature of my imprisonment, I was very aware of time's influence on me. Time is a most successful thief; I do not remember my lover anymore, except that I loved them. That is why I do not remember the most important things of my silblings._" Haoxian answered curtly. He gripped the hilt of his sword, his jaw clenched tightly. "_I dwelled on the memory of my love for so long, polishing it, holding on to it as long as I could until all I had left of them was dust. I locked my father up for this person, yet I do not remember anything besides a few qualities they have... But we are getting sidetracked. My brothers, however, I do remember. Since I spent all of my childhood and most of my maturing stage with them, it is hard to forget. I seem to recall that my brother, Yazi, enjoyed warfare._"

One of the monks in the room had parchment, ink and brush and was writing down the hints Haoxian was giving them.

"_Chiwen loved... looking. I am pretty sure I know what his key was since he owned it ever since we were young._" Haoxian, unsmiling and without expression, still seemed amused at the memory he had dredged up. "_He owned a pair of binoculars that enabled him to focus on things far away. Baxia loved water... and Pulao loved bells._"

"Bells?" Rufus chirped.

"_Bells._" Haoxian nodded. "_Loud things with sounds that resonated throughout your body. And Qiuniu... loved music. Suanmi loved fire, even though my brothers and I were all more weather and water inclined. I remember that he had his own fire cult at one time or another._"

"One more left, Haoxian." Monique had counted off the names of Haoxian's brothers. But Haoxian had a faraway look in his eyes and the wind was slowly picking up outside.

"_Haoxian._" Nam Ho, who had not spoken the whole time now spoke up, sensing the otherfolk's agitation. "_Haoxian, calm._"

Haoxian registered the monk's voice, but he couldn't keep calm. He wanted to scream, he felt like the walls were closing in on him again as he remembered his half-awake state in his prison. "_Jiaotu was always fond of... locks. He designed our prison._"

Rain was pattering down outside now, the wind blowing angrily at the shutters as Haoxian took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Al...right..." Monique looked around the room cautiously, afraid something else would set off Haoxian. The wind and the rain had come from nowhere. And as Haoxian took deep calming breaths, the brewing storm outside died as suddenly as it had started. "Well. Uh, Wade, did you get that?"

"Warfare, binoculars, water, bells, music, fire and locks." Wade's voice chirped from the Kimmunicator. "Got it! I'll see what I can find; I could also contact some of the art and antiquities dealers Kim has helped over the years... so I'll get back to you on that later. Oh, by the way, the boys are enroute to the hospital."

"What?" Monique frowned at Wade, suddenly worried. "What happened? Are they okay?"

"They're just going in for a quick evaluation." Wade tried to calm the woman down. "Apparently, when Dr. Lipsky had called for a ride for the boys, he decided to give the doctors Possible a heads up."

"Oh no."

"Yeah." Wade frowned, troubled. Everybody on Team Possible tried their best not to tell the parentals anything about what they did. Wade tried his best to keep all of his cyber-activities hidden from his mom, since his information gathering sometimes stepped over that thin line between legal and not so legal. All members that were okay'd for field activity kept their wounds hidden and downplayed what they did to their parents but some times, bruises and scrapes on places that couldn't be covered were inevitable. "Seems like nobody told Dr. Lipsky bout the 'don't-tell' clause we have about injuries."

"Crap." Monique winced.

* * *

The cave stretched downwards, down hewn stone steps for quite a while and opened up to a marvel of human artistry and ingenuity. Upon reaching the bottom of the steps, the small group had to slip through a narrow stone passageway carved with strange pictures, each one telling a story. Shego didn't have the time or patience to study the drawings, though. She didn't have time for any of this and knew what these drawings would entail, anyways. The story of a veritable god, a power that situated itself in the desert and was buried here when the nine sons of the Fifth came calling.

Upon reaching the end of this passage, Shego snapped her fingers and lit the room in an eerie green glow. Looking up, she spotted braziers filled with candles hanging from the ceiling and threw up her little ball of green fire. As the flames sputtered above the braziers, the small ball of green fire fell apart into as many different tongues of flames as there were candles and lit up every one of these braziers, bathing the room in a soft warm glow as the green light faded to a warm yellow.

At Shego's self-satisfied smirk and the challenge in the green-skinned woman's raised eyebrow, Bai Su Zhen rolled her eyes. Since Shego started carrying the Sixth and realizing that she was powerful beyond all imagination, she had been showing off as much as possible without straining herself.

Now with the dark cavern lit up, they could see that the passage ended and poured the group into a medium-sized hall that had COUNTRIES' ransom in precious jewels and crystals, gold and other precious metals in decorations. There were also large piles of priceless rocks all the colours of the rainbows, sparkling quietly admidst coins from different nations and eras. The floor was tiled with large slabs of black stone, worn smooth by traffic through this hall. Walls were encrusted with gems in a gaudy display of wealth and smooth marble pillars made a path up to a large, ornate throne that was grotesque in it's extravagence.

The only thing that was out of place in this underground hall full of riches were the skeletons, dressed in rags that used to be clothes, strewn about the floor. Some were laden with strings of gold and silver, rings with shiny rocks set in their thick, exquisite bands. These people had died, almost peacefully. Against the wall, even in the wavering candlelight, outlines of people were charred into the walls, as if a fiery blast of fire had ended the lives of these trespassers and reduced them to nothing but dust.

"So this is your home." Shego mused out loud. There was an answering reply, a quietly inquisitive pulse from the throne. He was still aware. He was awake. And he was so very angry. He was just about to lash out when Shego receded and the Sixth approached the throne with one hand raised.

"_Calm, brother. Do you remember me?_" There was a pause, then his excitement shook the room sending little avalanches of coins and gems rolling down the small mountains of precious baubles. "_I will not stay long, I am not at my best right now. My children seek your Avatar and they will bring them to you. You shall be free, then we shall talk._"

Another little pulse pinged the room, deep and weary, as if the being trapped here was sighing deeply in acceptance.

"We can stay here for a while." Shego blinked and stumbled a little bit as she took hold of her body again. Xaio Qing was at her side right away, eager to help her former disciple in any way possible.

Shego smiled wearily at the Green Snake. It was hard to keep being angry at her, especially since they were working together for a common goal and with how persistant she was being. Maybe it was also because the Sixth looked upon the Green Snake so kindly that it affected Shego's feelings too... "I'm fine."

"How long until the Eighth's Avatar gets here?" Bai Su Zhen asked, looking around the room. The White Snake brushed coins off a silver chair and sat down.

"The Eighth's Avatar is in a place that my children do not like to go." Shego frowned, noting that she was speaking as if she WAS the Sixth. "We're trying to contact the Third, but it seems like Lady Tiger is also out hunting somewhere a bit too chilly for us. We can't go someplace that cold again."

The cold-blooded snakes naturally hated cold and gravitated to warm weather. Searching out the Third had been a big risk and had sapped the Sixth's strength, too much and too fast to be safe for her and her Avatar. Letting Xaio Qing or Bai Su Zhen go was not an option either since they supported Shego's weak system. Yinchun was the resident doctor but was not to be trusted in the process of awakening the Twelve. Her mutinous grumblings were not lost on the Sixth and if it weren't for the fact that Yinchun was necessary and Xaio Qing was fond of her, the Snake would have killed the young fox a long time ago.

"Do you need to rest?" Xaio Qing asked Shego softly. The green-skinned villainess nodded, fighting to stay awake. The Sixth did use a lot of her reserve strength and energy when she wanted to take over the body, causing Shego to require more rest and nourishment than usual. Xaio Qing quickly took off her cloak and signalled for Yinchun and Bai Su Zhen to do the same, intent on making Shego as comfortable as possible.

"Thank you." Shego nodded sluggishly, wrapping herself tightly in the borrowed cloaks and sitting back onto a pile of coins and jewels. In just a few short seconds, the woman was out like a light.

"_Hello._"

Shego blinked, looking around at her surroundings. Almost every time she went to sleep, she was here, in what looked like an abandoned temple. Motifs of snakes, statues of the serpents and offerings of flowers and fruits littered the temple's many offering tables.

"I'm trying to sleep." Shego sighed, turning to face the Snake. It was just a small thing, the length of her arm and it's inky black coils shimmered in the warm sunlight streaming through windows high up on the wall. The calls of birds would periodically sound and the sound of so many leaves outside, shifting in the wind, gave Shego the impression of standing next to the ocean.

"_But we have much to talk about._"

"We talked this to death."

"_I asked. But you never answered me._"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

The Snake chuckled kindly and reared up to better look at her Avatar. "_But that is all I see, Shego. She is everywhere. Even here._"

Sensing someone else in the temple, Shego turned around, already knowing who would be there.

"Hey, Shego." Kim waved cheerily, lounging on a windowsill with her hands behind her head. She looked like the careless youth that Shego had first encountered such a long while ago. At that time, Shego had been intrigued by the redhead, how such a skinny, small little thing could go into the hero business. But Kim Possible had proved a worthy adversary.

"_I have not looked into your memories of her, Shego. Because you have asked me not to._" The Snake sighed. "_But you do understand that your feelings overlap my own and I can guess. You might as well tell me who she is._"

Shego had been watching Kim Possible the entire time the Sixth was talking to her. Now, she strode over to the redhead who watched Shego with lazy interest.

"She's my girl." Shego crouched down beside Kim and reached out to touch the heroine. And like all the times before in this dreamscape, Shego wouldn't be able to touch Kim. No matter how hard she tried to push her hand through that invisible barrier around Kim, it was impossible. The green-skinned woman let out a sigh. "You know that."

"_But who is she to you, Shego? Let me in._" Shego's memories were shared in this slow, awkward way. The villainess opened herself up to the Sixth grudgingly, while the Snake had seen the Second's and the Third's Avatars open up completely and bond perfectly. Avatar and the entity riding in their Avatar's body have to mesh as seamlessly as possible and there should be little to no resistance. It was a tad maddening to have her Avatar resist her... in fact, it was a little bit dangerous. Shego was already weak because of how their bond was formed. For her to resist their bond, it was weakening her more.

"_Fine._" When Shego didn't answer her, the Sixth sighed, lowering her head. "_I will just have to ask her when she comes._"

"What?" Shego rose from her crouch in alarm, taking two steps towards the reptile laying in the sun.

"_She comes to find you._" The Snake said lazily, the warmth making her sleepy. "_And we will talk when she arrives._"

"How--"

"_She comes now._" The Sixth explained. "_I feel the heart she wears, following me. It is hard to miss such a powerful artifact._"

"I wanted her away from all this--"

"_I did not promise that._" The Snake said carefully. "_We talked about this. It is impossible once my brethren are awake for her not to affected by any of this. I can only promise her safety. Remember?_"

Shego did remember that first talk she had with the Sixth. The entity had explained who and what she and the Twelve were and what she planned to do in stark and horrifying detail. Shego had bargained, to the Snake's amusement, for Kim, a blue man named Drakken and her super hero brothers' lives. The Sixth had agreed to this, overwhelmed by the sheer flood of unchecked feelings Shego had let flow. Shego had learned to control herself a bit more but now, the Sixth could feel Shego's emotions crashing on to her like a tsunami right now. Kim Possible was important.

"_How important is she?_" The Sixth questioned. "_I would not harm her, you know this. I promised. And I keep my promises._"

"I know." The Sixth had opened herself up like a book to Shego, hiding nothing from the woman. Shego knew the Snake was honorable, would keep her word and that she wouldn't make promises that she wouldn't keep. Shego also knew the Sixth was so very angry... and the Twelve's awakening was inevitable. Even if Shego had refused to help the Sixth, conveniently, the Snake would find another Avatar quickly in Bai Su Zhen.

"_Your resistance is tiring you out. You are suffering. And I cannot leave you unless you die._" The Snake's tail twitched, Shego could feel the genuine twinge of sorrow the Sixth felt. "_I do not want you to die, Shego._"

"How long til she gets here?" Shego looked aorund the temple. It was from the Sixth's memory, a temple now destroyed, deep in the jungles of South America somewhere. The Sixth had made her home there until she had fled the sons of the Fifth and ended up in trapped in the place that Xaio Qing and Bai Su Zhen's son would unknowingly choose as the site for She Cun. They hadn't known that what was buried underneath the earth there was what had attracted them to that site.

"_Very soon. When you awaken, she should be here._" The Sixth answered. "_She comes fast on one of your Dr. D's flying machines._" The Sixth's tongue darted out, tasting the air. "_You care for her that much that you would risk your life for her?_"

"I would give up everything for her." Shego exclaimed truthfully. "And she'd do the same for me."

"_You would._" The Sixth chuckled. She had been privy to that memory, painful and bloody, of Shego dying in the dirt. "_But I doubt that she would. She is human, of course._"

"I'm human too!"

"_You are my Avatar. You are more than human._" The Sixth explained patiently. "_You possess all the qualities that are necessary for you and I to bond. In fact, between you and Bai Su Zhen, you are even more suited to me than she. Our Avatars are far and few in between and you are one. Do not ever group yourself with that race. You are more than that._"

"Shego!"

"_They call you._" Their surroundings shimmered, like a mirage. "_How much has humanity changed? And how much have they not changed? You seem to think the best of this Kim Possible, Shego. I wonder... I really wonder..._"

Shego woke up slowly to Xaio Qing's face hovering above her.

"She's here?" Shego's question, her extra insight of the waking world didn't surprise her companions any more. They were aware that Shego and the Snake... talked while she slept. And the Sixth seemed to know everything.

"She is outside." Bai Su Zhen also hovered nearby, more for Xaio Qing's sake than Shego's. The Green Snake didn't look alright. In fact, she looked downright sick to her stomach at the thought of seeing Kim.

"I think I will go somewhere else." Xaio Qing remembered quite well, how much she had hurt Kim. How she had rammed her fist through Shego's chest, knowing with a malicious satisfaction that it would hurt Kim, maybe more than it would hurt Xaio Qing herself. She remembered how insanely happy she was at the sight of Kim, reduced to nothing... how her own anger, her sorrow, her grief and her elation all crumbled together in a deadly mixture. Xaio Qing remembered feeling so incredibly alone, so overwhelmed with everything and nothing at the same time... even now, she could feel traces of anger, of indignation. Where did Kim fit in in their world? Kim didn't belong here, didn't belong with Shego. Shego belonged to Xaio Qing, to her... Xaio Qing tried to fight her less charitable thoughts about Kim Possible, but she didn't know if those horrible feelings would come up again and swallow her whole.

"No escaping." Shego smiled wryly. "You have to face her some time."

"What if I cannot?" Xaio Qing asked softly. "I do not think I can control myself..."

"Your sister is here with you, isn't she?" Shego looked over at Bai Su Zhen. They were all very aware that even if Xaio Qing seemed alright right now... it was unspoken, but everyone was thinking the same thing: they weren't sure if Xaio Qing really was okay.

"Yes." Xaio Qing smiled at Bai Su Zhen and held out her hand to the White Snake. Bai Su Zhen took the Green Snake's hand in her own and smiled at her sister, a reassuring smile that told the younger snake that she would be there for her.

Shego let out a shakey breath she didn't know she had been holding. How was Kim going to react to her? How was Shego herself going to react?

'_How, indeed._' The Sixth was awake and interested. Shego's lips pressed together in a grimace and closed her eyes, vertigo hitting her. It was always like that when the Sixth decided she needed to be conscious as well.

"Bring her down to us." Shego sat back, letting the power that came with the Snake's appearance wash over her. She felt so incredibly drunk on it... but so wearied by it. At Xaio Qing's hesitation though, the Sixth's voice escaped from Shego's mouth. "_Go. Bring her to us unharmed. You must learn control._"

Xaio Qing hesitated for a second, then dipped her head in a slow bow to Shego before heading for the stairs. Bai Su Zhen and Yinchun were quick to follow, the fox looking a bit worried at what might happen since she remembered quite well the damage Xaio Qing had done last time.

'_Sit and wait. she will bring her to us._' The Sixth soothed Shego's worries. '_You are still tired._'

"And who's fault is that?" Shego growled. But she sat there, waiting anxiously, listening for any sound that might tell her that Kim was coming down the stairs, wondering what she should say, how she should react.. how DID she feel? What would she say, really? Shego had tried so hard, before she had died, to keep Kim safe. Now, with her second chance at life, she was still trying to keep Kim away... but it felt like everything was just working against her all the time. Shego was no good for Kim. The only thing she was good for was giving Kim trouble. She should just get Xaio Qing to take Kim away, to keep the heroine away from Shego. She was bad for the younger woman, Shego was no good--

"Shego?"

Shego, wrapped up in her own tortured thoughts once again, was shaken out of it. There she was. There was Kim. And the usually energetic and joyful woman looked so completely broken. Kim looked bedraggled and exhausted, worn out and weary. Her shoulder-length hair--it had grown since the last time Shego saw her--was oily and limp, dark circles under her eyes and the palour of her skin made Shego heart clench tightly in her chest.

"Kim... what happened to you?" Shego struggled to get up, lurched forward unsteadily on her feet and almost stumbled as Kim crashed into Shego with jarring force. The redhead was still strong, despite her appearance and held on to Shego desperately, sobbing into Shego's neck. Her blubbering was incomprehensible and after a while, Shego gave up trying to push Kim away and just help on to Kim as if her life depended on it, revelling in the feel of the redhead in her arms, murmuring soft words to comfort the young hero. Shego was surprised at the words that were pouring out of her own mouth, was surprised how much she meant it as she repeated the simple phrase over and over again."

"Kim, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Shego!" a high-pitched scream, one-part demanding, one-part whinning and wholly all-in-all annoying, was heard. Shego would recognize that voice anywhere and looked up just to see Dr. Drakken rush towards them and join in on the hug. This was accompanied by the high-pitched whining bark of a familiar canine as Tigger loped towards Shego, tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth.

"SHeeeegooooo! Where have YOU beeeeeENnnn? I MisSed you soooo much!" Snot and tears were dribbling down Dr. Drakken's face in an entirely unattractive way. But Shego was unable to drag up any feelings of the usual disgust she felt at one of Dr. Drakken's little outbursts. In fact, she was sincerely touched by his tears and though she would never admit it, missed him probably as much as he missed her.

Xaio Qing, Bai Su Zhen and Yinchun had come back down and stood off to the side, watching this reunion quietly. Xaio Qing had a tight grip on Bai Su Zhen's hand, holding on as if it was the only thing anchoring herself to her sanity. When she saw Kim and that blue man holding on to her Shego, and even the dog jumping around the three in excitement... those uncharitable feelings welled up inside of her again. Shego was HERS. She had brought her back, SHE had loved her and everybody else was just in the way--the grip on her hand tightened and Xaio Qing felt herself being pulled away.

"_Lets give them some time alone._" Bai Su Zhen whispered. "_We will get some fresh air._"

Xaio Qing gave a tight nod, knowing to follow the White Snake. She gave the trio a last, careful look, before allowng Bai Su Zhen to tug her back out of this chamber and up the stairs. Yinchun, who had been watching everything like a spectator, shivered at that last look. It reminded her of Xaio Qing back at Er Mei, back when Shego was desperately trying to leave Xaio Qing but the Green Snake would drag the woman back kicking and screaming. Xaio Qing still looked at Shego like the green-skinned woman was her property...

Xaio Qing hadn't gotten better, or if she had, she was barely okay. Yinchun looked over sadly at Kim, weeping in Shego's arm. They were together again, but for how long? It felt like they were all barreling towards an inevitable conclusion that boded ill for everyone. Following Bai Su Zhen's lead, Yinchun removed herself from the humans and trailed after the Snakes.

Kim had cried until she had exhausted herself completely and Shego had carried her to a side room which, unsurprisingly, was also filled with riches. The green-skinned woman had sat back in a pile of coins--which was damn uncomfortable--and let Kim rest against her. Tigger lay at Shego and Kim's feet, awake but resting while Drakken was curled up in a ball next to Shego, looking highly uncomfortable but unwilling to remove himself to somewhere more comfortable. He wanted to stay close to Shego. Both Kim and Drakken had a hold of a part of the cloak Shego was wearing, in fact, Kim was wrapped in it with Shego while Drakken had a tight grasp of it in a tiny fist even in sleep.

So it was surprising, when Kim woke up suddenly feeling the loss of Shego's warmth, alerted by the soft rumbling growl coming from Tigger's chest that something was wrong.

"Shego?" Kim sat up abruptly, panicked. She had been having such a restful slumber, her head on Shego's chest with the villainess' arms wrapped around her... Where did she go? "Shego!"

Drakken, dead to the world, grumbled a bit but continued sleeping.

"_She is not here._" Shego's voice, but not Shego's voice, replied silkily. Across the room stood Shego, her head tilted to one side as she studied Kim. The redhead had to hold herself back from running to the other woman, dread filling her as she realized that the person who stood in front of her might have Shego's body but was definitely not Shego. "_And I think you would rather I talk to you with a bit of... distance._"

"So it's true." Kim looked at the Sixth calmly, prepared for this moment. This was her worst-case scenario. "Where's Shego?"

"_Sleeping. She is tired._" The being in front of her smiled in amusement. "_I believe you have questions to ask me? Demands to make?_"

"I want you to leave Shego alone." Kim's hands clenched into fists at her side.

"_If I do, she will die._" The Sixth replied, tilting her head to the other side. "_That is not what you want, right?_"

"What do you want from her?"

"_I need her to help me awaken the rest of the Twelve... I know you must have come across one of the nine sons of the Fifth. I can smell his scent on you. Did he not tell you? I was sure he would._" The Snake took a step forward and Tigger's growl became a little bit louder, warning the being to stay back. Kim reached down to bury her fingers in the thick fur around Tigger's neck, trying to calm the dog. "_But the body of Shego cannot hold me for long. Because of the way I entered her, her body can not sustain the strain of both of us._"

Fear gripped Kim's heart, her body turning to ice. She couldn't lose Shego again, she couldn't, she just--

"_I will leave, as soon as I get my own body. For that, I need all of the Twelve to awaken._" The green eyes of the Sixth looked at Kim, looked through her, studying her carefully. "_Will you help me, Kim? In doing so, you help Shego. I will not harm my Avatar, but she MUST carry me and the longer she does, the weaker she becomes. The Twelve are strongest together and the nature of our imprisonment... are all different. For me, my true body was destroyed, so I must have a new one that can hold me. Think of it as..._" The Sixth accessed some of Shego's general knowledge of this age. "_My mind as radioactive material. I am slowly eroding this container that was supposed to be suitable, but was not prepared correctly to house me._"

Kim's silence prompted the Sixth to continue.

"_If you do not want to help, I understand... but you cannot stay with us as you will hinder our mission. I understand that you have reservations... and you are right to have them._" The Snake watched the emotions flitting across Kim's face as she battled with herself, trying to figure out what she wanted. She knew, or at least she had an inkling of, what the Twelve together would be. Powerful. And Kim knew what the Sixth wanted to do with this power, could feel her anger even now, like a storm on the horizon.

"I don't care anymore." Kim shook her head, all the information not making sense, her rationale screaming that this was all impossible. But she didn't care, SHE DIDN'T CARE ANYMORE! She just wanted Shego to be alright. "I don't care how, or why, just tell me what I need to do."

"_Even if that meant sacrificing the world?_" The voice was sharp, acidic. "_Well, do not answer that now. I will point you in the right direction, then, after this is finished, we will talk. Just bear in mind that your actions will have consequences._"

"I'll deal with everything after." Kim gritted out. And she didn't care, she didn't WANT to care anymore. For once, she wanted to put herself first, to have things her way... to go against everything that she had worked for. "Tell me what I need to do."

"_You are truly devoted._" The Sixth's tone of voice, the way she said 'devoted' put Kim's teeth on edge. "_Cut right to the chase. I need the First. But the First will not come if the rest of the Twelve are not ready. I need the Twelve to awaken and hold council. We will be whole again and then... we will do what needs to be done. But you must know that what you will do will unleash our full fury on your world. What will you give to have your Shego back again?_"

"What do you need me to do?" Kim ignored the question. The question was too uncomfortable, it made her think about her priorities... but she forced herself to ignore the opposing voices in her head, a picture was forming in her mind. Her heart's desire... and the tiny fox heart would give Kim the answer.

"_You already have a very good map. It will take you where you need to go and you, world-traveler, can go where I cannot. I love my Avatar and any more stress on her will make her weaker. Bring the Twelve together, Kim. This is the temple of the Eighth, he is locked here similar to the way I was locked away. Find him his Avatar._" The Sixth pointed at Kim's chest, where the tiny fox's heart nestled between her breasts, hidden underneath her shirt. "_If you are truly focused on the well-being of this body, you should know where to go to find the vessel that will house the Eighth._"

"I do." Kim knew. It was her heart's desire to see Shego well again and the little fox's heart was tugging her in a certain direction.

"_Then go and come back quickly._" The Sixth smiled with Shego's face, with Shego's lips. "_Come back quickly and Shego will be whole again once I am too._"

Kim nodded. There was no time like the present and it was strange how, just seconds ago she didn't want to be apart from Shego. But seeing this thing in front of her that was Shego but not-Shego... she wanted to get away. Kim wanted Shego so much her body ACHED with the hurt but this wasn't her and if she had to move a mountain to have Shego, whole and well in front of her... so be it.

"Wha-what's going on?" Dr. Drakken woke up, blinking sleepily when Kim bent down to wake up Dr. Drakken. "I was having the nicest dream..."

"Lets go, Dr. Lipsky." Kim tugged the good doctor to his feet.

"Uh-uh-uh." Dr. Lipsky frowned, dusting himself off and waving his finger in a no-no-no gesture. "It's Dr. Drakken to you, now that I have Shego back! And you, Kim Possible, you'll RUE the day--"

"Dr. Drakken." Kim sighed, exasperated. "We have work to do. If you're not helping, I'm putting you in jail. I don't have time for this."

Dr. Drakken's mouth opened and closed, unable to give a retort. Finally, he turned towards Shego, indignation written all over his face. "Shego! Kim Possible is disrespecting me! Eliminate her!"

"_How very odd,_" The Sixth chuckled. This blue man with the tiny hands was very strange.

"Wait... Shego, speak English!"

"That's not Shego, Dr. Drakken." Kim rolled her eyes. "It's some other entity high-jacking her body."

Dr. Drakken spun around to face Shego. "I demand you give me back Shego!"

"Ignore him." Kim crossed her arms, facing the Sixth, who was studying her with an unblinking stare. The fire in Kim's eyes spoke volumes. And though this girl in front of the Snake was haggard, weak and dirty, her inner strength shone through. Kim had been weak, but she had been tempered by her experiences thus far. She was determined.

"Tell Shego I'll be back for her." Kim said softly, her expression soft again, her eyes searching the face in front of her for traces of Shego. Then with an unreadable expression, she turned on her heels and went to collect her traveling companions.

This human confused her.

"_I wonder... I wonder indeed..._"

And the Sixth was left wondering as Kim whistled for Tigger to follow and dragged Dr. Drakken out of this little room in this temple in the ground. She walked out, up the steps through the darkness into the moonlit desert and past the snakes and the fox. It was almost morning and the dim light over the horizon tinged the skies a dark blue.

The dawn was coming.

* * *

"Yes." Haoxian picked up the intricately carved binoculars, meticulously manufactured out of bronze and polished glass. Through some blackmarket contacts, Wade had managed to find the location of where a pair of the world's oldest binoculars would be located. The collector looked at the collection of people nervously.

"Careful, everything here is thousands of years old." He rubbed his hands together nervously. "And those binoculars in your hands is worth a king's ransom--"

"You have no idea." Haoxian chuckled, bringing up the binoculars to his eyes. The binoculars felt warm in his hand, as if his brother had just handed it to him after spending a long while using it to gaze up at the stars... the memories were coming back to him, the ones that he thought he had forgotten. They were bittersweet and made Haoxian long to see his siblings. "These are my brother's. I will take these."

"Wait--I... um..." The man quavered under Haoxian's unwavering stare. "I mean... please take them. I-I'm sorry."

"Thank you for keeping them safe." Haoxian nodded. This old white man, with his large house nestled in the heart of the US had quite a collection of Asian antiquities, some of which had been considered lost forever. Here were all these treasures, secreted away into his own private collection. The four ex-hunters Lang had brought along had searched the house from top to bottom to see if there were any items that might fit the description of a key that might unlock the prison of the sons of the Fifth. But unfortunately there were none and none of the other items pulled Haoxian towards them like these, his brother's beloved binoculars.

"_How does one person amass so much stuff in their life?_" One of the ex-hunters gaped at an authetic set of black lacquered plate armour from the Qing Dynasty.

"_Why is another question you would ask. Why would you need all of these things._" Haoxian carefully placed the binoculars into a silken bag that had been used to hold these ancient binoculars. "_Now our search becomes easier._"

"How?" Ron trotted out of the house after Haoxian, who was now standing on the large front lawn of the house, looking this way and that.

"My brother's binoculars, if used correctly, could find things." Haoxian smiled and took the binoculars out again. "There are certain items, one of which Kim Possible posesses--" At the mention of Kim's name, Ron stiffened visibly and when Monique tried to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, he shrugged it off. "--that helps you find what you want. Kim's item is a lot more tricky. But my brother's binoculars are simple. It shows you what you want as long as your view is unobstructed. So we need a high location."

Haoxian looked up at the large mansion they had exited, then walked back towards the house. Within several feet of the front of the house, he jumped straight upwards. It was... surreal as he seemed to fly up and perch on the highest point of the extravagant mansion.

Placing the binoculars to his eyes and looked out into the distance, he could only see pitch black, as if something was covering the binoculars. Slowly, he rotated almost a full circle before the binoculars cleared, showing him as far as regular binoculars could see, in the north-east direction.

"I want to see where the other keys were and I wanted to see where the closest key was. It is in that direction." Haoxian pointed and jumped down, landing soundlessly in front of his gaping audience. "I do not know how far."

"This is going to take forever." Monique groaned. Michelle and Vince had opted not to go with them and were staying at the temple with Nam Ho to help get word out to other temples Nam Ho had a connection with. Things were going to happen on a global scale and Vince, Michelle and Nam Ho were of the opinion that they should be ready for it. Lang had also left some of his people back at the temple to help out, since traveling in a big group looking for god knows what would be a big waste.

"How should we do this?" Lang asked.

"We go as far as the binoculars let me see, then I use them again to see if we have further to go." Haoxian explained. "I can do this part by myself, actually, if you do not mind. I am much, MUCH faster than all of you and any flying contraption you might use. You have already helped me quite a lot."

"Then--"

"I will find where it is and inform you." Haoxian pointed to the Kimmunicator clipped to Ron's belt. "If I could have one of those and you can tell me how to contact the little man in there... I understand that he would be able to contact you when I ask him to?"

"He will." Monique tried to hide a little smile at Haoxian's techno-knowledge. Little man inside the screen, indeed. The African-American woman unclipped her Kimmunicator and handed it to Haoxian. "Just press this button. He'll answer right away."

"Like this--"

"Hey Mon--oh. Hey, Haoxian, was it?"

"Yo, Wade, I'm gonna let Haoxian take my Kimmunicator for a while. S'okay?" Monique looked around at everybody in the clearing. "And can you get us a ride and the location of the nearest restaurant? I think we're gonna need to refuel while Haoxian does some of the groundwork."

"No problem-o!" Wade grinned, typing away. "I got you a ride and it'll be there in 5 minutes! I'll also send you a couple of mini-Kimmunicators for everyone. The techs not as high as a regular Kimmunicator, but it'll keep everybody in the know."

"We get one of these things?" Lang asked, wonderingly. He was not completely technology-stupid, but he HAD been living in a village in rural China for most his life. All of his men were already fitted with little translator ear-buds and were already in awe of THAT piece of technology. Having one of these little communicator things would be strange, but even more exciting!

"Yeah." Wade grinned, hearing Lang's voice. The leader of the group of ex-hunters conveyed what he heard to his group which also lead to little exclamations of excitement. As they stood around discussing what would happen next, a black van pulled up the long driveway of the mansion. Saying a quick good-bye to Haoxian, they all piled into the van and drove off. Sitting in the front passenger seat, Monique peered out the window at the side mirror to try and see if Haoxian was still standing there watching them... but all she could see was... something reflecting the midday rays of the sun, shimmering and disappearing in the sky, far in the distance.

Their ride brought them to a small diner with some pretty good fare and they all dug in, everyone realizing suddenly that they were famished. It wasn't until everybody was slightly full did Lang decide to broach the subject that was on his mind and the minds of his people.

"What happens when Haoxian's father awakens? When the Twelve awaken?" That stopped most of the forks and knives and everyone sat back, uncomfortable. It was all well and good to help Haoxian free his brothers and to stop Master Heen... but when the Twelve were free... Haoxian had said that they were angry and they wanted justice. What would these creatures do? And Lang and his party had been taught since birth that the otherfolk were all evil... it was hard to change their minds and they suspected Haoxian's intentions.

"What do you think we should do?" Monique shrugged. "We got two options right now: Help Haoxian and free his brothers, also getting rid of the crazy runnin' around making decisions in your village. Second option: We don't help him and let the crazy continue running your village. And really, in a village full of supposed 'demon'-hunters, how da hell did you miss this bodysnatcher?"

Lang had the decency to look ashamed. "This was too close to home. We didn't think my father, our leader could be one."

"_All the signs were there, now that I think about it._" Gee, one of Haoxian's men spoke up. "_But the elder taking the younger into the woods was always a time-honoured tradition and the change they went through was--well, we thought was because of the burden of responsibility they would have accepted--_"

"So you're saying this has happened since your village was founded?" The implications of what Ron said rested heavily on everyone's shoulders. For centuries, probably, someone had been murdered quietly and nobody knew.

"So who has a problem with the fact that someone was killed everytime a new leader was chosen in your village?" Ron raised his hand. Everybody slowly raised their hands in agreement. "And who wants to not help Haoxian free his brothers and in doing so, NOT stop this guy?"

Nobody raised their hand.

"_But what'll happen after?_" Gee spoke up again. "_It's a real concern. Especially if we free Haoxian's brothers. Who says they won't destroy our families?_"

"We'll talk to Haoxian about it." Ron shrugged and looked over at Rufus who was finishing off a piece of toast. "Not as good as Bueno Naco, eh, buddy?"

"Nope." Rufus said sadly. A Fed-Ex guy suddenly walked into the restaurant. Spotting them, he placed the box on their table and took out a little signing device.

"Monique?"

"That's me." Monique perked up.

"Package for you from a 'Wade Load'?"

"Yup." Monique signed for it and opened the box, exclamations of delight coming from their Chinese friends as little wrist-Kimmunicators were passed around. Just in time too, as their Kimmunicators all beeped with a familiar tone that made Ron wince a bit.

"Guys, Haoxian's coordinates." Wade didn't waste any time, his face serious. "He's... somehow made it to Hawaii in the time that you guys have been eating."

"We've only been here for like, an hour!" Monique was stunned.

"Yeah. Well, I got you guys the fastest ride I can because Haoxian seemed pretty angry when I was talking to him and I heard shouting in the background. I don't know what's going on, but you guys gotta get there fast."

They all exchanged worried looks. Monique put down money before heading out to meet their ride. It was odd hitching rides again for Monique, after having a permanent ride in the form of Dr. Lipsky's UFOs... But she kept quiet about it, knowing that mentioning either Dr. Lipsky or Kim Possible made Ron really angry. She couldn't blame him either when the whole sordid story came out and Vince had uncomfortably confirmed that he knew they were pretty close... but Monique, though a bit angry herself, couldn't really blame Kim. The whole story sounded like one of those stories of those girls that were kidnapped for years and even when given a chance to escape, they'd gotten so used to the situation that they don't. It was some kind of weird stockholm syndrome thing...

'The whole problem is that Ron and everybody else is still thinking Kim Possible can do anything, including getting herself out of a situation like the one she was in.' Monique was not one of those people who thought Kim was some kind of mystical diety who could do anything. She had seen Kim worry, been there when Kim crushed on boys, been there when the redhead was uncertain... and they had all seen Kim completely break when Shego had died. But now was not the time to worry about Kim, Monique was worried that she had made a fatal mistake of giving Haoxian freedom to roam as he please.

"_See, he can't be trusted._" Lang's people muttered amongst themselves.

"What do you think?" Monique leaned over to ask Ron. The young man turned his head to talk to Rufus on his shoulder.

"Buddy?"

Rufus shrugged relunctantly.

"Well, lets see what's going on first." Ron, read his furless pet's body language quite well. Rufus was unwilling to pass judgement on Haoxian which told Ron one thing: Rufus was giving Haoxian the benefit of a doubt, therefore he couldn't be as bad as the ex-hunters thought he was. If there was one thing Ron had learned, it was that Rufus was usually right when it came to judging situations like this.

"Right." Monique settled back in her chair, the military-aircraft that had been called for them would speed them to their destination, but that was still a few hours away. She might as well get some sleep. With that thought in mind, she closed her eyes and willed sleep to come.

* * *

endnote: Sorry again for the late late LATE updates, guys. My bad. And **EDIT **frickin' ffnet keeps getting rid of my seperating lines! for frick's sake!


	13. Cold Desert Fire

Cold Desert Fire

A Kim Possible Fanfiction

immo

author's note: It's been a while guys... I'm sorry. Got stuck in other fandoms. But you've reviewed, emailed, found me on livejournal and messaged me there. It's about time, right? Thanks for waiting so long! I can't believe people are still reading!

* * *

"_Took a while to find you._" The gargantuan tiger growled as a tiny white thing squirmed underneath her paw. It's hind legs were broken and there was no way for this small thing to survive this eternal winter in the state it was in; a quick death would've been a blessing. But it still struggled to get away.

"_I do this not because I enjoy it._" The Third dug at the hard snow, her claws easily breaking through the frozen water and dirt, digging deep into the earth until she hit a large stone. On the stone, marred by the deep gouges her claws had made, was the image of a hare. It was an image made by the people of this barren wasteland, made by those most sensitive to things like this. It had been the site of many a powerful ritual but as centuries passed, the young forgot what this place meant and it was buring in snow for what seemed like forever. Now, in this cold northern place where three large countries warred over the sovereignity of this dead landscape for the supposed riches beneath, the true wealth this land kept hidden had been forgotten. If only those who dug beneath the earth's surface knew just WHAT lay underneath all of this snow...

"_If the children fight over each other for this place, then none shall have it._" The Tiger looked at the hare underneath her paws, smelling it's fear but also feeling it's fighting spirit as it struggled to escape. This animal had been hard to track down in this place... the Third had wanted to track down the animal normally, her pride as a hunter demanding her to do so. It had been a challenging hunt, but she had her prey. Pressing down with more of her weight, she heard a sudden squeal and the snap of a spine. Without any other ceremony, the Third tossed the still twitching animal into the hole it had made. "_It is time for the true master of these plains to look over this place again._"

The dead arctic hare landed on the stone with a soft thump and went still, it's eyes already slowly getting a glassy look to them. Suddenly, the dead animal gave a suddenly violent twitch, it's foot hitting the ground with a resounding boom, echoing for miles.

"_Welcome back to the world, Four._" The Tiger backed away from the hole waiting as the land quivered in anticipation and snow started to fall in large clumps from the sky. As the snow fell, the air seemed to get colder and colder until even the moisture that came out of the Third's mouth became ice on contact with the freezing air.

"_Honestly. Your wake up calls are always so rough, sister._" Two paws came out of that hole and an antlered head followed after. The Hare now had changed quite a bit from the hare that had gone into the hole. Instead of the thin, bony thing that had been tossed in, now a plump animal, growing steadily larger as the seconds passed, shook itself of the snow that fell on it's body. The antlers, strange on a hare, looked particularly noble on this one. Raising on his hind legs, the Hare was now tall enough to reach up and place a paw on the Third's nose.

"_But it is a joy to see you._" The Hare said warmly.

"_We have much to do._" The Tiger growled, but allowed the contact, feeling calmed by her small compatriot.

"_And we will do these things that we have to do. But I will have to join you later. Right now, I feel like indulging myself._" The Hare looked into the distance. "_It is time for the snow to come._"

In the time they had talked, the snow had continued to fall, steadily and quietly, already amounting to several inches of snowfall. Some might say that wouldn't be a problem, but this northern wasteland was a desert in every sense of the word-precipitation in these parts was far and few in between. With the way the snow was falling now, it looked like the area would get more snow than it ever had in years.

"_The intruders in my land will have to be convinced to leave._" The Fourth looked up into the sky. "_I shall deal with my affairs here, then I will join you when the Twelve meet again. Good hunting, my lady._"

"_I expected you to leave the hunting to the hunters._" The Third chuckled. "_You are far too timid for the methods the Sixth and I will use._"

"_But even I have limits._" The Hare looked into the distance, seeing far, far away. Could smell the oily, disgusting aroma of refineries. "_They have taken enough from me and those that live under my protection. I have been lax in my responsibilities._"

"_We will have justice._" The Tiger snarled, reminded of her own Avatar. Hunted and pursued through the trees. Disgraced and humiliated. Her children killed...

"_Calm, your majesty. Calm. You shall gather the brethren._" The Fourth placed both paws on either side of the the Third's nose, leaning his antlered head in so they were nose-to-nose. "_We will get what we want. The First is just._"

"_The First is just._" The large cat echoed and nodded slowly, then backed away from the Hare. "_Make them feel the cold, Four. Make them feel it all the way to their bones._"

The Hare tilted it's head to one side, looking almost as if it was smiling. Then it turned and lopped off, quickly disappearing from sight in the blizzard.

* * *

Kim had brought back a mountain sheep, hardy and strong. It hadn't been easy to catch the thing since it scaled the craggy cliffs of it's mountainous home with the nimbleness of a monkey and tried again and again to attack Kim with it's horns. Kim had hog-tied the animal and was now traveling back with it, bleating in the back of Dr. Drakken's UFO.

"Kim Possible, you're sure this will help us get Shego back?" Dr. Drakken asked, eyeing the animal in the back who bleated at him angrily.

"I'm sure." Kim sat beside the mad scientist, looking the best she ever had since Shego died. The redhead had taken the time to clean herself up a bit after getting the sheep, making use of the showers in one of the hideouts that Dr. Drakken had in the area. She had even managed to sleep through the trip to this wintery place. "Hey, how come you never use the hideout here? That was a pretty nice one."

"Well," Dr. Drakken shrugged awkwardly. "Shego doesn't like the cold so we always try to use the tropical ones."

"Oh." Kim looked at the blue man in a slightly different light now. Usually, she just thought he was an egotistical, self-serving, annoying idiot. But getting insight on how most of his plans were shaped around Shego's wants... it was pretty cute.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Dr. Drakken eyed Kim suspiciously. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, no, I was just thinking," Kim smiled at him. "You're a pretty nice guy."

Dr. Drakken gasped, scandalized. "You take that back!"

"Nuh-uh." Kim shook her head. "No take-backs."

"Take it back!" Dr. Drakken screeched. "I don't need some goody-two-shoes hero to tell me I'm a nice guy! That'll ruin my reputation!"

"Well, I'm not that good of a hero." Kim replied, trying to keep her tone light and carefree. But the weight of what the Sixth said weighed heavily on her shoulders. She would put the world in jepoardy if she helped the Twelve. They had seen it on the news already on their way to get the Eighth's Avatar, how powerful these beings were. Everybody was going crazy for the bull-headed god that made the Ganges his home now. The Indian government had, with the widespread popularity of the gentle being in the river, signed several bills that had problems putting through before to protect the holy river. But the flip-side of that now was there were roving mobs 'protecting' the river, dealing out their own brand of justice when they came across anyone throwing trash into the river. Even people who wanted to pour the ashes of their loved ones into the river was barred from doing so. Several of these establishments that provided this kind of funeral had been burned to the ground.

Kim was also she that what was happening now in the northern hemisphere had to do with the Twelve, too. It seemed that up north near the arctic circle, there was a weather crisis as temperatures dropped to never-before seen lows. People that worked up there for the Chukchi drilling project had already been evacuated from the area, but the indigenous people native to the cold countries were loathe to move and had instead turned to age-old traditions to battle the cold weather and stay.

Already, they said the ice would make it impossible for drilling to take place, the Trans-Alaska pipeline had actually FROZEN and the price for petroleum had risen prohibitively in response to this. Ice that had receded on the shore now stretched out, thick and cold, kilometres from the shore. Scientists who had also evacuated from the area when the cold set in wanted to go up north again to study the glaciers, since satelite pictures have shown that, miraculously, these sleeping giants that had pulled back up north after the last glacial age were stretching south again in an alarmingly short amount of time. And throughout all this, there were rumours, stories from the Yupik, Inupiat and Inuit people... sometimes in the distance, obscured by the snow that fell in baffling large amounts from the sky... they could see an animal in the distance that looked like an antlered arctic hare. It seemed to watch them and after it's appearance they were usually blessed with a large abundance of prey in the form of hares... or the snow would get heavier and these stories were told by frost-bitten, hypothermic survivors.

In the parts where there were tigers, it seemed that these hunters were getting braver and attacked poachers specfically, with an eerie intelligence. Surprisingly also, the few survivors from these attacks reported that their weapons hadn't worked when they faced these beasts. Any and all efforts to catch these dangerous animals had failed completely.

"You are a hero." Dr. Drakken said seriously, interrupting Kim's thoughts. "Don't forget that, Kim Possible. No matter what, you've proven yourself over and over again. If it means anything to you, the villainous community is really impressed by you."

"Seriously?" Kim was weirdly touched by that.

"Yes." Dr. Drakken nodded. "You've always done was was right by all of us. No matter what happens, I'm sure you'll do the right thing. We all believe in you!"

Kim nodded, her feelings on THAT murky. Would she really do the right thing? What WAS the right thing, anyways?

Drakken seemed to read her thoughts, taking one hand off the steering wheel and patting Kim on the shoulder. "That includes believing that you'll know what the right thing is when the time comes. You're Kim Possible, aren't you?"

Kim smiled weakly, feeling the pressure of everyone's expectations on her. It had never been a burden before, but now she felt eyes all on her. She looked back at the mountain sheep tied up in the back, still bleating it's head off.

"I'll go get it some water." Kim unbuckled herself from the seat and left Dr. Drakken's side. Getting a bottle of water, she had to settle for pouring the water slowly out over the sheep's mouth and watching it try it's best to lick up most of it. Almost half of the contents of the water bottle went on the floor of the aircraft which the sheep promptly tried to lap up too.

"Sorry 'bout that." Kim murmurred and tried to pat the sheep on the head. Only through quick reflexes was the redhead able to pull her hand away when the animal tried to bite her for touching it. "I guess I deserve that."

The wiry animal huffed angrily as if in agreement.

"Well, I hope you're comfortable. We'll be there soon and then..." Kim trailed off, suddenly feeling extremely guilty. She knew what would happen to the animal. And the sheep, sensing Kim's unease, wiggled in it's bonds again, grunting quietly to itself.

"For what it's worth," Kim looked at the wriggling animal. "I'm sorry."

It seemed like they got back faster to that place deep in the desert then it took to get to the animal they had but Drakken assured her they had made about the same time, both ways. The gaping entrance of the cavern felt really ominous... and the snakes writhing about near the entrance scared the hell out of everybody on Drakken's UFO.

"Why are there so many of them?" Drakken whispered, horrified. As he landed his aircraft, the snakes moved to give him space. The way was obstructed by what seemed like thousands of snakes, but a path cleared for them down to the cool caverns of the Eighth's prison below.

"Come on." Kim had to tie the sheep's mouth closed before loosening the bonds a bit. But she didn't loosen them that much and kept the sheep hobbled. However, the sheep was in no hurry to run out the door of UFO as it had sensed the snakes outside and refused to move towards the door.

"I'm sorry." Kim said again and pulled the sheep, dragging it unwillingly and slowly towards the entrance to the caves. It pulled against her lead, bleating all the way down the stairs to the chamber that housed the large ornate throne.

"You're back." Shego smiled at the redhead, the Snakes and the fox at her side. It was Shego. All the stress Kim was feeling melted away. Shego. "And you've brought a guest."

The sheep let out an indignant baa.

"Don't worry." Shego looked at the mountain sheep kindly. "It'll all be over soon."

Unknown to Kim and the animal, a small snake had been making it's way towards them. Rearing up, it struck quickly, biting into the sheep's back leg. The shaggy animal let out a bleating scream, then stomped the tiny reptile into the dirt, huffing angrily.

"That wasn't nice." Shego admonished lightly. "And here we were, thinking we'd take you painlessly."

Yinchun came forward, taking the lead from Kim's fingers. The sheep was already beginning to feel sluggish, following Yinchun unsteadily towards the throne.

"Your majesty's chair." Yinchun lifted the sheep up tenderly, placing him on the throne. The strong-willed creature glared at her balefully, before resting it's head on the armrest and closing his eyes. Shego watched the sheep for a moment then went to Kim's side, taking her hands.

"Thanks."

"It's fine." Kim watched the sheep let out a laboured breath. Then he didn't move any more. She felt... dirty.

"He'll be fine." Shego reassured. "Look."

The sheep was slowly changing, its horns growing, limbs elongating. There was a muted boom, sending small avalanches of coins down the mountains of riches in the room. The mountain sheep's face looked like it was being pulled in, until his face resembled a cross between a goat and a person. His long white silky hair seemed to grow thicker and fuller. Finally, the once-sheep opened his eyes and sat up, filling the throne with his size as he gazed down imperiously at the guests. In soft, long white hair that covered all of his body, he seemed gentle and kind, though the hardness in his eyes spoke of cruelty. Shego left Kim's side, approaching the throne with a slight smile.

"_Good morning, brother._"

The goat-sheep-person tilted his head to the side, studying Shego.

"_Six. I owe you and... your human, a debt of gratitude._" The Eighth growled, seeming not at all happy about owing anybody anything, especially to a HUMAN.

"_You owe me nothing._" The Sixth said cheerfully. This brother would be on their side, she knew it. "_But I do need help finding the rest of us. The Third is actively searching, but the Second has decided to not participat._"

"_The Second is too kind some times._" The Eighth's reply was not a compliment for the Second. "_He is too soft to do what must be done._"

"_We still have our other brothers and sisters._"

"_Yes, we do. I felt the Fourth awaken in our mountains._" The Eighth mused, remembering things from his Avatar's memory. "_It was very cold. I guess that is why you sent someone else to find my Avatar._"

"_The Fourth having awakened is excellent news._" They were getting closer. With so much of them awake, finding and freeing the rest of the Twelve would be easy. Once things were set in motion, it was like a snowball rolling down a mountain. An avalanche was inevitable and unstoppable. "_What will you do, brother? As I am sure you must have plans._"

"_I will look for my brothers and sisters._" The Eighth said, not hesitating in the least bit. "_Then we shall talk to the First. The First will listen to us._"

"_The First is just._" The Sixth agreed.

"_But before I join your hunt,_" The Eighth sat back as the lights flickered in the room. Like the Snake and the Tiger, the Ram was angry. He had been shut away in one of his own temples by Hunters, stewing underneath the dessert, raging against any who would dare enter his sanctum. No living thing could survive so far out in the dessert, so his Avatars never even chanced about his tomb. It seemed all he got were thieves and vandals. And while the Third and the Sixth controlled their rage, the Eighth was not so inclined. "_I will let the people on my land feel my displeasure; their God has been silenced for too long. I will let them know I hear their selfish prayers and I want nothing to do with them. I will send out my angels of death like I did long ago. They will die in the streets and no-one will mourn them as they burn in the dust._"

"_Do you think they will worship you as they once did?_" The Sixth laughed, caught up in the darkness of this brother. The Eighth's long ears flickered in amusement. "_Call for you, hoping that you will deliver them from their suffering, not knowing you are the cause?_"

"_We shall see._" The Eighth laughing, almost baying out his laughter. Freedom! Finally he could leave this place! And he would wreck HAVOC on the world for his imprisonment. He would kill until the rivers ran red with blood!

He got up off his throne and walked towards the exit, Shego, Drakken and Tigger withdrawing from him instinctively. He stunk of death and destruction. He paused when he was close to Kim though and gave her a sickly smile.

"Thank you, human." His eyes twinkled merrily, his cruel lips pulling apart to show white, blunt teeth. The Eighth's eyes were large and oval on his hairy face, making him look even more alien. "I want you to know who I am and what you have done."

"You're the Eighth." Kim tried to not feel small and fearful while being scrutinized by the Ram.

"I am." The Ram nodded. "I am also death. I am pestilence, I am disease. I am war and I am famine. I am the God from long ago, that desert people worshipped. I am the devil that they also feared. I am all those things. And you, small human, have loosed me on the world again."

The Ram let out an unpleasant bleating laugh that smelled slightly of sulfur.

"I owe you." Still laughing hysterically, he climbed the stairs, his laughter echoing down into the chambers. "I owe you!"

"Come on," Shego was there again, the Sixth having retreated back into the recesses of her mind. She took Kim's hand and the redhead barely felt it, numb all over from what the Ram had said. "We can't stay here."

"Why not?" Drakken and Tigger were quick on Shego's heels as Bai Su Zhen, Xaio Qing and Yinchun followed after them.

"Because he will bring the whole place down." Bai Su Zhen said quietly as the place started to rumble. As they ran up the stairs, Kim finally noticed the engravements on the wall of tales that she knew... a flood that was said to drown the evil people of the world and a lone ship floating in the storm... a bunch of men in robes carrying a golden box through a dessert... the plagues on the Egyptians, the destruction of cities... fire and brimstone... wars... the pictures of children slaughtered, women being raped...

"What have I done?" Kim whispered to herself as they broke out back above ground, getting as far away from the Eighth's prison as the earth groaned, sinking in on itself. Shego made them stay as far away as possible as the sand sunk in to fill the spaces underground. When the dust settled, in the distance, they could see the Eighth on the opposite side of the hole-in-the-ground that had once been his prison with his arms raised up to the sky.

"Do you understand now?" Shego asked quietly. The horror, the severity of it all weighed on everyone's shoulders. Even Tigger seemed unnecessarily grave.

The Eighth stood there for a while and even from far away, they could see the smile on his face, peaceful and happy. He seemed to glow as the sun's light reflected off his white coat of hair. The peace of the moment was broken however, when he lifted up his head and opened his mouth impossibly wide, giving a huge yawning groan. His jaw seeming to unhinge and stretch, a horrible noise buzzing from deep within. Looking like he was dry-heaving, Kim watched in horror as a huge swarm of insects burst from the Ram's maw, giving birth to a black cloud that seemed to darken the skies.

"We have to leave." Yinchun pushed Drakken. "Go to your flying vehicle. We have to leave NOW."

* * *

"What's going on?" Monique's team had been dropped off near the top of the small green-covered volcano. It was difficult because it was pandemonium when they got there, with people running around in orange and red outfits, like flames down the slope. Ron grabbed one of the guys running past in mindless terror, shaking him a bit to make him pay attention to them. "Hey! What's going on!"

"A big silver monster's got our leader!" The man screamed before struggling out of Ron's grip and running for it.

"_Lets go get him, then._" Lang motioned to his people. Their weapons of choice all had sharp edges on them and they pulled them out, all of them serious about using them.

"Wait-" Monique got a grip on Lang's sleeve and he pulled away violently.

"_We shouldn't have trusted him._" Lang snapped.

"_We have a duty to protect people, whether or not we're still accepted in our village._" Gee growled at Monique, brandishing his double scythes. "_If you're not with us, stay out of our way._"

Lang started up the mountain, grimly determined to fight it out but Monique was in his way again, along with Ron.

"Think about it: if he didn't want us up there, he wouldn't've called Wade." Monique's reasoning was sound as Lang lost some of the air in his sails. He was still suspicious, though.

"What do you suggest?" Lang finally said, in English.

"We don't go in there, guns blazing. We assess the situation before we continue on." Monique held her hands in front of her, making calming gestures. "That's how mistakes are made."

"_Don't listen to her-_"

"_Gee._" Lang's tone of voice shut Gee up. "_She's right. We'll be prepared but keep weapons lowered._"

"_Lang-_"

"_Gee._" Lang gave the other man a look. "_Fall in line._"

Gee immediately dipped his head, but Monique didn't miss the anger on Gee's face. "_Understood._"

The small group gathered together again, this time with Monique and Lang at the head of the line as they made their way to a tiny village built right on the side of the active volcano that looked more tropical resort than village.

"Hey Wade," Ron took the walking time to pull out his kimmunicator and contact the boy genius. "What's the sitch?" and immediately winced at what he said. It was a bitter reminder of Kim.

"You're at the site of the very active cult of Pele, a goddess from Hawaiian mythology." Wade explained. "The place is built on the side of a VERY active volcano and headed by an eternally youthful priestess. She's said to be a representative of Pele herself, so she's treated sort of like the Lama in Tibet. It's on the down-low but a lot of politicians and important people in Hawaii actually come visit her to bring gifts and solicit her blessings. There's also rumours about child sacrifices every couple of decades but there's never been any sufficient proof... Apparently from what I gather, Haoxian's gotten a hold of this priestess there and is fighting off her followers who are trying to rescue her. They're in the main building, the huge glass thing in the middle of this village."

"Thanks, Wade." Ron signed off and informed everybody where they should be going, though from the stream of people going from and to a certain building, they already knew where the action was.

"This living goddess sure lives well, doesn't she?" Monique muttered as they passed a row of luxury cars on their way into the building.

"I wish I was a goddess." Ron said wistfully. At the strange looks everyone gave him, he tripped all over himself trying to explain. "I mean, god! Not goddess! God!"

"Come on." There were people around that were trying to put out little fires all over the place with either sand or curtains ripped from the ceiling to floor windows. The fire control was going okay so Team Possible and the hunters continued on, quickening their steps towards an area that sounded like a fight was going on. They weren't disappointed when they got there and saw Haoxian holding up a young Polynesian woman by the neck, while sweeping away her followers with a wave of his arm. A strong wind would blow these followers off their feet but they would just get up and run at him again, like a never-ending wave on a beach. Haoxian, however, didn't look like he was tiring out any time soon while the people who were trying to rescue their priestess were tiring out quite visibly.

"Get these fools to BACK DOWN." Haoxian hissed, upon noticing Monique. The African-American woman immediately jumped to action when, in midst of the crush of people, she saw injured people on the ground being trodden underfoot. Putting her fingers to her lips, she let out a piercing whistle that got everyone's attention.

"People, we're here to handle this!" Monique's voice echoed in the suddenly quiet hall. "Grab your wounded, back away and let us do our job!"

The priestess, the only person in the room still screaming got a look at the hunters and immediately called to them.

"You idiots! Attack him!" She hissed. "He's not human! Look, he's going to hurt them again-"

No sooner had she spoken then a few of her followers nearest Haoxian burst into flames and fell to the ground, screaming. The people around them either backed up or took off their shirts to try to desperately put out the fires.

The hunters raised their weapons, prepared to charge through the crowd but Lang held up a hand, looking around at the large rabble who had make-shift weapons in their hands. "I need everybody in here to leave! This monster is dangerous!"

Haoxian narrowed his eyes at them, his hand tightening around the priestess' throat and she gasped for air. The crowd was more than happy to back away as Lang's group gave them confidence that things would be handled. Taking Monique's advice, they carried out their wounded and filed out until only Team Possible, Lang's hunters, Haoxian and the priestess were left.

"Haoxian, Haoxian, calm down." Monique held up her hands, trying to sooth the young man.

"A MONSTER?" Haoxian snarled. "Compared to her-"

"Weapons down." Lang told his hunters before turning to Haoxian. "Sorry, Haoxian. Just wanted to reassure those people we were on their side. Now that they're gone, we can deal with this."

"Save me you fools!" The priestess' eyes almost bulged out of her head, screaming at them. Her attractiveness had decreased quite a bit since she was almost foaming at the mouth, yelling at them.

Lang was distrustful of Haoxian but he would try to be reasonable, seeing that the powerful being's sword was still in it's sheath. Lang was sure if this son of the Fifth wanted to kill this woman, he would have already. And he hadn't really hurt the people that were rushing him... except for the fire... "Haoxian, let her go."

"No." Haoxian was back to the eerie emotionless mask he usually wore. "This miserable woman is mine."

"Haoxian, you don't want to do that-" Ron tried to walk forward but Rufus pulling hard at his hair stopping him in his tracks. "OW! Rufus!"

"Fire!" Rufus chittered as the air in front of Ron shimmered with heat. The blonde man stumbled backwards as the hem of his sleeve caught on fire. Beating down the flames, Ron was loathe to try getting closer to Haoxian.

"What was that?" Ron was on guard now.

"What do you think?" Haoxian shook the woman in is grasp and her feet kicked out helplessly. "This traitor-"

"Don't listen to him!" The beautiful woman shouted out hoarsely.

"Do not get too close." Haoxian warned the hunters who were trying to shuffle forward. "You will be hurt."

"Do what he says." Lang shouted. The hunters backed up, even Gee who looked dissatisfied with that decision.

"Haoxian," Monique stayed still. "What's going on?"

The young Asian man motioned with his head towards the priestess. "Her name was Shin Ai. My brother, Suanmi, gave her that name a long time ago. Now, she goes by the grotesque title of 'Living goddess' or 'Pele'. Honourable hunters," now a grim smile pulled at the corners of Haoxian's lips. "Meet one of the founding members of your clan, one of the compatriots of your 'Master Heen' who took down my brother and I. She is also a key to one of my brothers."

"I don't know what he's talking about-"

"YOU LIE!" Haoxian roared.

"_He's hurting her!_" Gee tried to step forward but Lang held him back.

"Let me prove it to you. Stop anybody from distracting me. Buy me an hour and I will be able to take away what was given to her long ago." Haoxian eyed the captive priestess with venomous intent.

"Attack him!" The captive Pele or Shin Ai or whoever screamed again, but this time, the desperation in her voice was apparent. Lang looked around at his men, all of them antsy at this situation. Lang didn't trust the woman in Haoxian's grasp... but he also couldn't get over his whole life's prejudice against the otherfolk. What should they do?

"Well, guys?" Monique was also undecided in this situation. What should they do?

"Well, I think-" The sudden attention Ron got startled him a bit, but he continued speaking. "-I think this 'Pay-Lay' woman is kind of shady. Me and Rufus think we should give Haoxian a chance."

"_That's the stupidest-_"

"You got a better idea?" Ron shot back. "I'm willing to give Haoxian a chance. He saved your asses from your clan when you guys were trying to rescue Jim and Tim, you owe him a little bit of trust at least!"

That shut everybody up, all of them silently agreeing-albeit relunctantly-to what Ron had said.

"No!" Shin Ai roared, a flash of fire shooting out at them, which would've roasted them if Haoxian hadn't acted quickly and summoned a wind to divert the flames from the group. It seemed that Lang's initial distrust of the woman was right as she screamed at them angrily, the source of the fire apparent now. It was not Haoxian.

"Back away." Haoxian warned the small group and then turned his full attention on the desperately struggling 'goddess' that he held captive. With Haoxian free of distractions, they felt the wind pick up and rush towards the Fifth's son and Shin Ai, making a visible ball of air around the duo.

"Secure the entrances. We don't want people coming in." Monique ordered and all of them fell into line. She felt unnerved by all of this but if they were going to do this, they'd commit to their decision. Ron's hand on her shoulder startled her a bit and she looked up into the blonde's warm eyes.

"Don't worry." Ron grinned at Monique. "We think you're doing the right thing."

The little pink molerat on Ron's shoulder gave the woman a thumbs-up and chittered supportively as the roaring noise of the wind filled the room. The winds picked up dust and any other loose objects not big enough to resist the pull from the winds creating a vortex of debris around Haoxian and Shin Ai. Through the carnage, Monique could see Shin Ai was still screaming but she couldn't move anymore as a fiery light started pouring from her nose and mouth like molten lava.

The group spread out, watching entrances and deterring people from coming near. They would look back at Haoxian and Shin Ai from time to time, seeing that her struggles had died and she just hung there limply in Haoxian's grasp, light pouring from the orifices of her face and streaming into Haoxian's chest. It took only about an hour, but it felt like forever as the last of the light left Shin Ai's body and Haoxian threw her to the ground.

"It is done." Haoxian's voice echoed in the suddenly quiet room. "Put her in chains. We bring her with us."

Nobody moved at first, but at Rufus' insistence, Ron and Monique moved forward. Monique produced some quick ties and bound an unresisting Shin Ai and Ron managed to get her up to a sitting position.

"Is she okay?" Monique asked, unsure. The Polynesian woman was on the floor, shaking like a leaf.

"She is going through, what you humans call 'withdrawal'." Even with his smooth, emotionless mask on, Haoxian still managed to convey his disgust for the woman on the ground. "She has had my brother's blessing rolling through her veins for years. I've taken away all that he has given her."

"It's MINE! Give... it... back..." Shin Ai huffed. She was still shaking on the floor, but she pinned Haoxian with a murderous look. "I'll... kill you..."

"Mortal, you can try." Haoxian watched her impassively as the word 'mortal' set her off.

"I am a goddess!" Shin Ai screamed. "How dare you! You should be... licking the dirt off my... boots! I'll kill you! I'll kill... all of you!"

"Well." Ron made a face at the crazed woman. "I'm glad we trusted Haoxian."

"Yup yup." Rufus made a face at the woman on the floor. He knew something was up with her as soon as he saw this 'Pele' woman! Lang came forward with his men, all of them curiously looking down at the woman ranting on the floor.

"_She was a founding member of our clan?_" Gee didn't look too pleased.

"She was one of the original hunters. They started everything." Haoxian studied the woman on the ground, then suddenly addressed her in ancient Chinese, the translators unable to translate such an old language. "_Tell me, Shin Ai. Was my beloved like you? Were they deceitful? Did I lose my freedom for someone dishonourable?_"

Shin Ai looked at Haoxian for a second, then laughed out loud, replying in the same ancient tongue Haoxian spoke to her in. "_You poor bastard. You've forgotten, haven't you? I'm glad that I get to remind you, then._"

"Our translators aren't working..." Ron muttered, tapping at the device in his ear.

"It's very old Chinese." Lang was doing his best to understand, but he could only make out a few words. "I'll be really impressed if your translator can translate this, because even we cannot."

"_Your beloved was a small, ugly girl who loved playing at being a man._" Shin Ai spat out hatefully, each word meaning to hurt Haoxian. "_She loved swords, horses and books. And she loved you._"

Haoxian could... barely make out the image of his beloved now. A wisp of a memory. A tiny, tomboy-ish girl. She wasn't pretty, but her existence lit up his world. He remembered just a bit, that feeling he got when he looked at her in her topknot, in her men's clothes that she preferred over women's clothing. How he had delighted in her strong-willed ways, loved her company as they travelled together and spoke of things that he no longer remembered.

"_Do you remember now?_" Shin Ai's eyes sparkled with malicious delight. "_Now... do you remember how she died?_"

Haoxian grew cold. How had he forgotten his beloved's face? She had died as they locked him and his brothers up in their prison, all of them howling their grief. Shin Ai had taken his beloved's sword...

"_Don't look, Haoxian. Don't look!_" She had pleaded with him to look away as Shin Ai raised his beloved's sword above her head. But he had kept his eyes glued on her, screaming for her. Needing her, wanting her... out of his mind with fear and rage as her death hung above her head, gleaming. His bonds held tight though and there was nothing he could do. When her blood spilled and her head rolled in the dirt, he felt himself being sucked into his jail, the spell for his imprisonment completed with the death of the one he loved the most.

He face. Haoxian tried his best to remember. It was just peeking around a dark corner of his mind, lost. When he thought he finally had a clear image, her face was gone from his mind again and all he could feel was the sharp sting of loss, of losing her.

"You do remember." Shin Ai crowed in delight. She saw Haoxian touch his sword briefly, the same sword that had beheaded the woman he loved more than anything in the world. "But you don't anymore. How could you? Forgetting your most precious-"

"Tell me her name."

Shin Ai shook her head, a mad grin on her face. "You'll never remember it. And I'll take it with me to the grave."

Haoxian looked at the woman on the ground, shaking still, but now she was laughing. Laughing and laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. The Fifth's son knew that questioning Shin Ai further would be useless, she would die with her secret if pressed just to be spiteful.

"Haoxian-" Monique got basically the gist of what they were talking about, knew that it was probably about Haoxian's most precious. Haoxian ignored Monique, turning from them to walk away, towards the exit. He needed air. He didn't know if he could control himself and not rip Shin Ai to pieces.

Ron watched Haoxian's retreating back. "What just happened?"

Slowly, outside, the rain started coming down in a depressing drizzle, the clouds weeping for Haoxian.

* * *

endnote: Wooooo... that took a while. Sorry guys and thanks for waiting so patiently! Lets hope my next update won't be ridiculously far away. And if this chapter is short and kinda not good... sorry, I've gotten rusty.


	14. Nine Lives

Nine Lives

A Kim Possible Fanfiction

immo

author's note: It's been a loooooong while. And some of you are angry with me. Hahahah. It has been long. I got sucked into my Mendol fanfiction and that fanfic is taking up my life. Is anybody still reading this? hahaha... I'm so sorry!

* * *

Kim sat in front of the console in the cockpit of Dr. Drakken's UFO, watching the news, feeling chilled to the bone. It was warm... but she just felt unbearably cold. She watched as Global Justice agents swarmed the Gaza strip, decked out in yellow biological suits. Bodies lay on the ground, their limbs twisted and sore-ridden, the faces of the dead showing that they had died horribly. Men, women, children... all dead. A plague had killed them all, suddenly and swiftly.

How was that even possible? And within such a specific zone?

"Some say, because of the squalid conditions of this area, germs and viruses flourished. The cause of death from some preliminary reports suggest that this plague that struck so swiftly was a highly evolved strain of the bubonic plague." The newscaster was in a yellow bio-suit too, looking like she really didn't want to be there. "However, this amateur footage found on the camera of a victim shows us something else..."

The footage was blurry and the person who shot the footage obviously was not a professional camera-man. He babbled in some foreign language nervously as his video zoomed in on a figure far away, holding a teenage boy by the shoulders, speaking to him. Within seconds, the boy had paled as sores erupted on his body and he fell to the ground screaming in pain. Then... he screamed no more.

The camera man's frightened babblings got louder as he zoomed in on the figure who had talked to the boy. At first, it seemed like he might have zoomed in on the wrong thing as the head of some sheep-like creature seemed to smile down at the body of the dead boy. But when the camera-man adjusted the zoom, viewers knew he hadn't been wrong when they saw that the head of this slightly familiar but altogether alien head was attached to a standing, half-humanoid body covered in snow-white hair.

The beast seemed to know that he was being watched and turned to stare calmly at the camera and the cameraman. Within seconds, the horrible gurgling screams of the cameraman could be heard and the camera fell from his hands to the ground, the video cutting out.

"Don't watch this." Shego's voice made Kim jump a bit as the video console was switched off. Shego had been resting in the back, with Dr. Drakken piloting the plane.

"It's not your fault." Shego held up a hand to still any kind of self-berating talk from Kim because the villainess knew that would. "You can't stop him, you can't appease him. His anger would kill even you, his benefactor."

"Don't call me that." Kim felt sick to her stomach. "I didn't do anything."

"You freed him." Shego said slowly, trying to hammer it in to the redhead. Kim needed to see the truth and understand, even as the Sixth watched the both of them carefully from somewhere deep inside Shego. "Take responsibility for that. You did it for me, didn't you?"

"I did." Kim felt... detached from the situation, like this wasn't her body, none of this was happening...

"Here," Shego took Kim's hand. "Come with me."

Kim noted that though Shego's hands were dry, they were hot. Too hot, her temperature almost feverish. The green-skinned woman seemed to see Kim's reaction and smiled wryly.

"It's nothing. I'm just... abnormally warm with the Sixth here too." Shego grinned. "Come."

She brought Kim to the back of the ship where the snakes and the fox sat, talking companionably and Tigger slept at their feet. Seeing Kim, they fell silent. Only Yinchun offered the redhead a smile.

"Don't think about anything." Shego pushed her into a seat, as far away from the snakes as possible, which wasn't really that far since the UFO wasn't really big in the first place. "Why don't you go to sleep? Have you been eating at all since I... left?"

They avoided the topic of Shego's death, that subject was touchy amongst everyone especially since Shego's killer was less than three feet away in the cramped quarters. Shego smoothed back Kim's unruly hair, gently pressing the redhead back against the seat. "Could you go to sleep for me?"

Kim held on to Shego's hand, just too tired to argue, images of death etched into her mind...

"Don't think." Shego shushed. "Put it all on me, Kim. I made this happen. I made you do it. Don't blame yourself."

"No, no." Kim reached up and touched Shego's forehead. She still couldn't believe Shego was alive... it was... amazing. And the redhead, guiltily, felt that... maybe she didn't care about these people. Not as much as she cared for this person in front of her.

What was she thinking?

"Can you leave me alone for a bit?" Kim asked softly. Shego nodded, undoing the cloak she had been wearing to drape it over Kim. The redhead just didn't know what to think any more.

* * *

"What do we do with her?" Lang looked at Shin Ai in disgust as she stared at them hatefully. She no longer had her formidable fire powers, but everybody still regarded her warily. Everyone except for Haoxian who looked at Shin Ai dispassionately.

"We make a deal with her." Haoxian said finally. Shin Ai's eyes took on a greedy shine. "As she must have surmised. We don't have much time."

"Why not?" Gee looked up sharply to ask. He was the only one still outwardly hostile to Haoxian. The rest of Lang's people had learned to be civil but Gee still held the son of the Fifth in suspicion.

"Well, we do have time. But I'm sure the rest of the Twelve who have been awoken will not be as patient." Haoxian shrugged gracefully. "The First comes to them in the Lunar New Year. No other time do they meet and this year is the year of the First so the First will have the most power over the others. And of all the Twelve, the First is just. If we miss this Lunar New Year... well... the Twelve that are loose will do what they will for one more year until the next Lunar New Year. One year is not much for us who can wait, but think of how much the Twelve who are loose can do."

"Aren't they good?" Monique asked, unsure.

"Maybe, if the one we are talking about is benevolent. But not so, if most of them are angry and are lashing out." Haoxian explained.

"You fools." Shin Ai snarled. "Once the Twelve are loosed on the world, who do you think they'd come after? And do you think that the First would be merciful? The First is the worst of them all! That one will order the mass extinction of the human race!"

The sound of Kimmunicators going off drew everyone's attention away from Shin Ai's ranting.

"Guys," Everyone crowded around Monique, watching Wade on the small screen of her communications device. "We've got massive trouble. GJ has officially asked us for help and since KP's gone AWOL, Monique, you're up."

Monique's lips thinned to a grim line. "Where's Kim?"

"She's requested a leave of absence to do her own thing." Wade's voice was tight with anger. Everything they had worked for... and Kim was turning her back on the world. He tried to understand, really he did... but didn't she see the news?

"Jim and Tim-"

"Are back on duty despite doctor's advice. Their psychological assessments have been done and the psychiatrist requests more sessions with them before being put back on active duty. Unfortunately, desperate times call for desperate measures and Jim and Tim have secured GJ's blessings to becoming contractoral agents thereby bypassing their off-duty status in Team Possible."

Monique let out a noisy breath of air, exasperated at Jim and Tim's stubborness.

"Where are they?"

"Tim's in the Middle East, tracking a rumour about the cause of a plague there that wiped out... EVERYBODY in on the Gaza Strip... Jim is off to Russia to control a tiger epidemic."

"Jim went to control a what?" Monique frowned.

"The Third." A ghost of a smile seemed to appear on Haoxian's lips, but disappeared before anyone could verify if it was real or not.

"Hold on, Wade." Monique pinned Haoxian with a hard look, one which he returned calmly. "How do we stop this?"

"You can't." Shin Ai laughed, an ugly laugh. "See what happens? They'll destroy us all!"

"If it does come to that, I hope you know your betrayal was what brought this destruction about." Haoxian said, his voice clear and calm, then addressed Monique again. "The only way to stop this, for a while at least, is to go to the First and hope that the First listens to you. Otherwise, all of the Twelve will do as they please until the First shapes their will and direction. There is no other way."

"That's why we had to put all of you monsters away-"

"Things were fine before you and your friends decided our powers were better used for the benefit of the selfish. What we had was for the people." Haoxian drew himself up to his full height, looking down at Shin Ai imperiously, scornfully.

The woman laughed in derision then stared up at him hatefully. "People are WEAK."

Haoxian shook his head sadly, looking down at the woman who used to be so beautiful, whom his brother had loved so much. This woman, who along with a few others, had brought the most powerful beings on this beautiful planet to their knees. "My brother gave you unimaginable power-"

"Power is not given!" Shin Ai sneered at him. "It's TAKEN. And it's only for those that'll take it upon themselves to grab it!"

Haoxian just shook his head again and turned away while Shin Ai cast her eyes on the people surrounding her.

"What are you going to do? Let them loose again? To do what they will, bless who they want and pass over those that THEY deem unworthy?" Shin Ai bleated out, half-crazed. "They are ANIMALS! Their blessings are stingy and they think it's more compassionate to watch you die than to give you what they have! What right do they have to keep this power from us, huh? WHAT RIGHT?"

Everyone fidgetted nervously, looking from Shin Ai to Haoxian. They realized, maybe, that this whole situation had gotten out of hand, that what was happening was bigger than all of them.

"Monique." Wade's voice broke through the silence. "What's going on?"

"I feel like we're out of our depth." Monique made a frustrated sound then turned to Lang. "You have experience with these creatures. Tell me what you think."

Lang looked from Shin Ai to Haoxian, the latter didn't even acknowledge the scrutiny and instead, took out his brother's binoculars from where he had squirreled it away in one of his sleeves and walked off to the cockpit. The leader of the renegade hunters exchanged looks with his people, hand signals were used that meant nothing to outsiders. They all seemed to be in accord except for Gee.

"She's proven herself to be untrustworthy already." Lang said after his brief conference. "If there was someone we had to trust, it would be Haoxian. Follow his lead."

Shin Ai kept quiet, even though the verdict was not in her favour. She tuned out the sound of them making their plans, her eyes resting on the one man who looked slightly disgruntled by the decision. Slowly, his eyes drifted to her then shot away when he saw her staring at him.

"I'm going to keep an eye on that THING." Gee announced, then stalked away, refusing to meet Shin Ai's eyes again.

* * *

Tim, in his biohazard suit, looked out in horror at the bodies. He had parachuted down, the GJ transport had been unwilling to land and now Tim could see why. The young man unbuckled the harness of his parachute and looked around at the carnage before him, at the bodies strewn haphazardly everywhere. Death was an impartial judge as women, men and children stared, wide-eyed back at him. Tim could see that they had died in excrutiating pain. He had been told to try to find survivors, but in actuality, he was there to lead a team and get a sample of this deadly disease that had struck so quickly and so efficiently. He would be taking it back to a team of doctors, one of which was his mother, who had volunteered to help Global Justice figure out what had happened to kill these people so horribly and to prevent it from ever happening again.

"Fuck. FUCK." Tim jumped back as he accidentally stepped on someone's arm.

"Careful there!" Tim spun around to see a little grey fox, tsking at him. "Really, be careful!"

"I'm sorry, it's just... the bodies are everywhere." Tim shrugged helplessly, not even phased by a talking fox. The creature seemed a bit put off that there wasn't a bigger reaction from Tim and waited patiently.

"What?"

"It's just," The fox sat down on it's haunches. "Most people are surprised to see a fox speaking perfect English."

"Most people haven't seen a monster lady-snake. Most people aren't looking at a field of dead people while talking to you, either." Tim said grimly. In his mind, a talking fox wasn't as important as the task at hand.

"What's your name?"

The fox was a little bit startled, but gave his name. "Joshua."

"My name's Tim, I'm with Team Possible, but I'm helping out Global Justice right now. Could I ask you some questions?"

"Team Possible, eh?" Joshua sat down on his haunches, looking suitably impressed. "Kim Possible's team?"

"Kim's my sister." Tim crouched down so he was eye level with the fox.

"Hm. Your sister saved my ma and siblings from a mad man trying to level the dessert. We had a den where he wanted to put a death ray of some sort a good while back." The fox tilted his head attentively to one side. "I'll answer your questions, brother of Kim Possible."

"What happened here?"

Joshua looked around at all the dead, stretching as far as the eye could see. He could see teams of people slowly going through the piles of dead, trying to find anyone that might have survived... but nobody would be found. He and his family had scurried amongst the dead, but none had been left alive.

"The hand of god passed over these people." The fox explained. "He walked amongst them and ended them all for they are miserable and wretched in his eyes. Though death was too good for them, he wanted them to be gone from his sight."

"What?" Tim didn't know how to take that. He didn't believe in gods or demons... but he knew what they really were. The otherfolk.

"A god." Joshua said matter-of-factly. "Walked amongst them. THEIR god actually, the one that they worship. The god of their bible, of their torah and their qu'ran. Well... most of the stories in there are just stories, but the vengeful, angry god in there is actually very real."

"Where is he now?" Tim asked.

"He went off to find his brethren, he said." Joshua looked like he was smiling with his pointed snout. "He said he would free them and then they would wreck havok on the world and we, the otherfolk as I hear your people calling us, can dance amongst the bodies of the humans."

Tim felt his insides freeze at the tiny fox's words.

"How do I find him?"

The fox scratched himself with a hind foot, relieving an itch behind his ear. "He says he will have to cross an ocean. Heading towards the setting sun. I don't know where he'll be, actually. But one thing's for sure: death follows in his wake. The only way to escape is to not be in his area of influence. He does not care who you are, brother of Kim Possible, as I do. So please be careful if you do seek him. Good day to you."

With that and a wave of his tail, the fox was gone, disappearing amongst the bodies of the dead.

"Sir!"

Tim almost jumped out of his skin, a GJ agent in a biohazard suit greeted him.

"We were delegated to come meet you at the landing point, but we were a bit... delayed because of the human debris." The agent snapped to a salute quickly, as did the other two agents with him.

"Have samples from the dead been taken?" Tim quickly took command.  
"Sir, yes, SIR!"

"Good. Arrange for the bodies to be identified and disposed of. Preferably, burned. We don't want whatever it is to spread. Please be careful, everyone." Tim could see the body count being a problem. He couldn't wait around for relatives that could be far away to claim the bodies, not with the heat wave predicted for the next few days and the mysterious nature of this plague.

"Sir, we're already cataloguing the dead and have arranged for those already catalogued to be burned immediately."

"Right." All the men were much older than Tim, but they all looked at him desperately for guidance, way out of their depth. They had never had to deal with this before. "I need to get a line to Dr. Director. I have some new information that could track down the cause of all this."

It didn't take long for a radio to be brought to Tim and for him to hear Dr. Director's voice, crackling through the connection.

"Tim?"

"Dr. Director." Tim greeted quickly. "I've gotten wind of the cause of this. The root of the problem is apparently crossing the oceans."

"What is it?"

"It's mobile." Tim replied grimly. "The same kind of thing that Kim came across when she went missing."

The people within earshot became just a little bit more worried. Kim was a force to be reckoned with... when she had gone missing, everyone had been scared that it would bring about a whole new ballgame.

"Where is it headed?" Dr. Director's voice was grim.

"West."

There was a pause on the radio. "Where exactly?"

West was the Atlantic ocean. Further west were the Americas.

"No idea. I was just told it was going west."

"Who told you?"

Tim blushed a little bit, knowing this was going to sound strange. "A fox."

"Huh. Well, we'll try to stop this thing as best we can."

"We have to be careful, Dr. Director. You saw what happened. And the fox-his name is Joshua-told me that 'death follows in his wake'." Tim and Jim had been shown the video of the deadman who had gotten a glimpse of the creature who spread this disease. The reporter who had gotten a hold of this important piece of evidence had been arrested and fined for interfering in an on-going investigation and inciting panic. Already, GJ was knee-deep in civilians running around like they were chickens with their heads cut off. Various religious institutes were taking advantage of the situation and seeing a lot of new converts while new, dangerous cults had started rising up. Tim actually had to go and investigate claims of human sacrifices by these religious organizations and new cults; possibly lead a team to take down a cult that was amassing quite a bit of weaponry to face the end-times.

"I'll tell my men to be careful." Dr. Director's voice held a note of weariness. "When you're done here, head over to Egypt. Be careful, Tim."

"Ma'am."

While Tim scrounged about the dead, trying his best to keep his feelings and thoughts in check, Jim was in Russia, holed up in a bar with a bunch of torch-wielding villagers.

"We'll just charge in and kill them all!" One villager had a pitchfork. Apparently, guns and rifles didn't work against these tigers and those that went in with these firearms found that they didn't work. Nine times out of ten, the tiger won against the human it went up against. Actually, it was more one, Nine hundred and ninety-nine times out of a hundred... the odds were stacked against the bipeds.

Jim just shook his head, having been updated on the whole situation. "You guys told me the last group that went in doing that didn't come back."

"Well, this time will be different!" The villagers all nodded. Jim wanted to smack all of them, seriously.

"How about this?" Jim cut in impatiently. "I'll go alone first to see what's going on and see if I could find the last group. We're going to take you out of this area-"

"We're not gonna be muscled out by a bunch of tigers!" One man with a heavy Russian accent shouted. The men around them let out their shouts of agreements, shaking their pitchforks and various other tools of battle.

"You can do that if you want. But what about your children and your wives?" Jim asked, the tone of his voice telling them that he was getting impatient with them. But they reacted to that impatience and listened carefully to this young man. "You wanna go off and be a hero? Have you thought about what you've got to lose? You wanna never see your loved ones again? Go ahead. This is a job for people like me; we'll take the losses if we have to but we'd rather not and we're really good at avoiding these losses. We have more chance of surviving, we're more organized and if any of you stay, you'll just get in the way. You all leave and we'll have a chance and we won't have to worry about all of you. Hopefully this problem will be cleared out and you can all come back. But until that time, this is not up for discussion. I'm ordering all of you to leave."

"Sir." A GJ agent burst through the front door, causing all the villagers to jump at the sudden noise of the door banging open. "The choppers are here. Women and children first?"

"You know it." Jim nodded, taking charge easily. All the villagers meekly put down their weapons, the presence of their children and wives making what Jim was saying hit home. They had families and friends. It was a suicide mission if they went as the last group had failed to come back... only one did, reporting the horrors that had happened and he had bled out in the arms of his fellows.

"Sir, our guns..."

"Are useless. You can take them along, but I want all of you to bring something else." Jim made sure someone was supervising the extraction of the villagers. "Melee weapons, everyone. If you don't have one, grab a pitchfork. Anything you can to protect yourselves. I assume all of you have had hand-to-hand combat training?"

"Not against tigers." One young recruit piped up. There were nervous chuckles going up and down the crew Jim had been assigned. The agents with Jim looked either extremely green behind the ears, looking to make their stripes; or had the grim determination of a veteran who had faced one too many battles. All volunteers since this mission was considered one that many might not come back from. With the otherfolk-GJ had adopted this term to officially identify these supernatural beings because calling these things 'demons' was not PC-nobody took any chances.

"Anybody want to turn back?" Jim looked around at all the faces turned towards him. "Nobody'll think less of you. I just want everyone to be prepared."

Flashes of a giant snake destroying everything in it's path filled Jim's head until he shook his head angrily. This wasn't the time to be unsettled. When nobody said anything, Jim gave a curt nod of his head. "Lets go. Bundle up, it's cold out there."

When the last of the choppers left, Jim adjust his snow goggles and signaled for everyone to move out. The villagers had given directions to where they thought the tigers were, pointing to the north-east since anybody who went in that direction didn't come back and the one guy who did came from that direction.

They trekked through the snow in silence, clad in white, all of them wrapped up in their own thoughts but alert, eyes darting around for orange and black stripes. They walked for nearly an hour in the snow, hearing nothing except the crunch of their footsteps. Since there had been no snow in the past few days, Jim could see footsteps heading towards the north-east... but only one set staggering back. This lone survivor's trail was stained red... Shego's body, twisted and battered, her arm hanging uselessly... the blood pouring out of the gaping wound in her chest...

"Do you hear that?" A young agent, fresh out of training whispered. At first, Jim thought the agent was just getting jumpy, but then everybody else heard it too. A sort of grunting, guttural call... the snarls of large, dangerous animals and the smell of blood.

"Oh Jesus!" One agent cursed quietly. His boot had crunched down and uncovered human remains. The tigers had chosen to bury their food.

Jim signaled for them to break off in groups. This would just be a reconnaisance. Jim and Dr. Director had already surmised that the tiger infestation was low-priority, but still worth investigating.

As Jim crept up a snowbank, he blanched a bit when he saw the clearing below littered with more tigers than he had ever seen in his lifetime. Jim knew from books he had read that tigers were usually solitary hunters... for them to gather like this was unprecedented. Some were fighting, others were lounging around, grooming each other. The young Possible would say there would be... roughly twenty-five tigers in the clearing. A bunch of cubs played off to the side, old enough to clumsily jump around and bat at each other, largely ignored by the adults. Near them, one of his agents was crawling towards the cubs.

"What the hell is he doing?" One of the older agents hissed. All the groups seemed to have seen the young agent sneaking towards the cubs and if they could all see this idiot, what were the chances that the tigers hadn't?

A bone-chilling roar from a female tigress signaled that they had lost the advantage. Before she could pounce on the agent nearing the cubs though, he had grabbed a cub in each hand, his fingers around their little throats. Their cries of distress stilled the tigers around him but they all bared their teeth at him angrily. Others, Jim could see, were looking around the clearing intelligently as if knowing that if one human was around, there must be more.

The sound of panicked shouting rang out from one group opposite Jim's position as a tiger managed to catch them unaware, and Jim was up and running, trying to distract the large beasts, feeling slow as all the feline eyes tracked him.

"Help that idiot down there! Get him to safety and get him to drop those cubs!" Jim hissed at his team. "I'll try to lead most of them away."

"Sir-"

"GO!" Jim ran at the tigers, taking out twin nightsticks from where he had hidden them up his sleeve. Several male tigers ran at him, roaring. Deftly, Jim spun out of the way, years of training making it almost seem like child's play to him. His arms flashed forward, catching the tigers across the face or in the ribs. Thick fur didn't shield them from Jim's unforgiving blows and within a few seconds, he had managed to piss off most of the felines in the area to cause them to chase after him. There were only a few tigers surrounding the cub-napper now.

"Woah." One of the younger agents gaped at Jim's deadly finesse.

"You don't call in Team Possible and get second-stringers." One of the veterans said in reply to the young man's wonder. "Even the goofy looking sidekick of Kim's a force to be reckoned with. Now lets go!"

The young agent that currently had a strangle-hold on the two cubs was one named Angelo, who had volunteered for this mission because he wanted to earn his stripes fast. He was ambitious and he wanted to climb as fast and as high as possible, seeing himself in Dr. Director's chair within a few short years. He had passed his exams with flying colours and this was where he would prove himself! Team Possible be damned, they had been making a fool out of GJ for years! He gnashed his teeth together everytime Dr. Director called in Kim to deal with one of the crazies. Angelo held on to the cubs tightly. He had a plan. He would make these tigers leave! Every animal cared about their children and tigers wouldn't be any different, especially not thinking ones if what the rumour mill was saying was true.

"Don't come any closer!" Angelo warned, coolly tightening his fingers. He kept turning this way and that, trying to keep all three tigers in his line of sight as they circled him. The cubs bleated breathlessly now, eyes bugging out. Three tigers. He could deal with three tigers. "I want all of you to leave this area!"

"_And why would we do that, tiny morrrrrsel?_" One tiger snarled in Russian, its voice guttural and angry. "_Why not rrrrip out your thrrrrroat?_"

"I dunno what you just said." Angelo was pretty shaken by the distinct words coming out of the tiger's mouth, even though he couldn't understand them. "But I think you'll u-understand m-m-me. Leave this area or I'll k-kill these cubs!"

"_Maaaaa..._" One cub bleated. It was young, but it had gained the ability to talk. "_Maaaaaa..._"

"We have to get out of here." Juan, the veteran that had been in Jim's team came up behind Angelo to watch his back. "What are you doing? This was supposed to be just recon!"

"We could get rid of them, man!" Angelo shouted back. "Just follow my lead!"

"And kill baby tigers?" If they escaped this mess, Juan was going to murder this young idiot. If they had stuck to the plan, they wouldn't be fast surrounded by tigers! And some of them were slinking back...

"_Don't kill my cubs, human._" One of the tigers surrounding them looked almost... worried through her bared teeth. One of the cubs was barely moving now, his front paw twitching periodically, tongue lolling out as he tried to breath.

"Back up!" Angelo brandished the cubs, unaware that he was holding too tightly. Everybody in the clearing was focussed on the scene before them, or trying to regroup. Nobody noticed Jim racing back up and sliding past the tigers to stand beside Juan and Angelo.

"What the hell, agent, this was not in the plan!" Jim snarled, his patience already gone.

"Fuck you and your plan. We're gonna clear this area of these animals! If you don't have the fucking guts to do it, you shouldn't be here!" Angelo shot back, bristling. How DARE this BOY try to question him! Angelo was top of his class during training, he'll deal with this-

Jim's decision was made quickly as his nightsticks twirled out and knocked against Angelo's elbows HARD. The young agent howled in pain and dropped the cubs, Jim managing to catch them before they fell to the ground. The young animals took big gulping breaths of air, then let out piteous mewling cries, setting their mother roaring.

"We don't hurt children." Jim hissed. The cubs weighed about as much as Tigger when the dog was just a few months old, reminded Jim of how much he loved his dog. The tigers growled nearby but some of them were watching Jim curiously, their eyes flickering like flames. All action seemed to have paused as tigers trotted forward, their hackles raised.

"I'm sorry." Jim addressed the tigers, remembering his small brush with the otherfolk. They could be reasoned with. Apologized to. But they looked ready to rip his team into shreds, he was at a severe disadvantage. He should have come alone... it was impossible to get everybody out, the confusion had trapped his people in a sea of tigers. He would have to take a risk. Put his faith in the predators.

Hesitantly, he stepped forward, only to be pulled back by Juan.

"What are you doing, sir?" Juan hissed. The cubs were the only leverage they had now!

"The right thing." Jim shook Juan off and walked towards the tigers until he was in front of the one he guessed was their mother. He swallowed noisily, then addressed the big cat. "I apologize for what my people have done. We meant no harm, we just... wanted to see what was happening here. I accept responsibility for what my subordinate has done and apologize again for the harm he has caused."

Placing the cubs down in front of the tigress he backed away as she took both cubs by the nape of their necks and retreated, her place filled by a larger, male tiger who snarled at Jim. The tigers pressed forward now, nothing holding them back and Jim, in resignation, brandished his weapons, feeling the piercing sting of failure.

He had made a mistake. Now he and his people would pay for it.

"_Hold._" A voice rang out across the clearing. At the edge of the clearing, a... man of sorts was walking towards Jim. When he came closer, Jim could see that this man actually had the head of a tiger. "I know you."

The tiger-headed man spoke in accented English, his nostrils flaring briefly as he seemed to be trying to place Jim by scent alone. The accent wasn't Russian and Jim guessed that it might be Asian.

"You are Kim Possible's brother." He was the tiger-demon at the party Xaio Qing had thrown for Shego. Jim smelled slightly like her, like how cubs reared on the same milk smelt alike. "I am the Tiger of Er Mei."

"My name is Jim Possible." Jim lowered his weapons as the tigers prowled about, teeth still bared but not attacking. "I apologize again for what my people have done."

"We do not excuse threats against our young." That was the only warning Jim got before a tiger blind-sided him, pinning him to the ground with a roar and several others lunged at Angelo before the young agent even knew what was happening.

"NO!"

It was too late, Angelo didn't even get the chance to scream. Juan was knocked down when he made a move to try to help the young recruit, similarily held down like Jim. The young Possible twin watched helplessly as the tigers feasted ravenously, locked eyes with Angelo as the other's eyes dimmed and they ripped him apart.

"Be grateful it is not you." The tiger-headed man purred. "You have invaded our territory. What is that saying your people are so fond of... ah yes. Curiosity killed the cat."

"What are you going to do now?" Jim asked, tearing his eyes away from Angelo's body. The guy was an idiot... but a life was a life. It was irreplaceable.

"Give you a choice. You have... nine remaining followers." The Tiger of Er Mei tilted his head to one side. "Five of the tigers here vouched for you."

"Why?" Jim was slightly stunned.

"Your sister." The Tiger of Er Mei explained. "She saved them. Created a sanctuary for them and brought the poachers hunting them to justice. She helped establish a safe place for them to live, even when they attacked her. This was a long time ago but us... animals... do remember. So they show their respect by giving you five lives."

"Five lives?"

"Well, yours and four others." The Tiger chuckled. "So pick," The tigers herded in Jim's surviving team, all of whom looked at him pleadingly, many of them injured and all of them weaponless. "Which ones live? Which ones die?"

Jim's mouth went dry, his thoughts racing as the tigers that had been holding Jim and Juan down lumbered off them, allowing the men to get to their feet.

"Well?"

"Just the five others. Don't include me." Jim's voice wavered just a bit. "I'll stay."

Nobody said a word as Jim selflessly sacrificed himself. It was hard for the agents to give up their chance as one of the surviving five.

"Can you choose who stays with you?" The tiger-man asked politely.

"I... can't."

"Wait." Juan croaked out hoarsely. He wasn't yet old. But he wouldn't let someone as brave as Jim Possible die alone. It was hard to look death in the face, but Juan was a veteran. He was afraid, but he wouldn't let this fear take over him and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he stayed quiet. "I'll stay too."

One more young recruit volunteered himself-it was his first field mission and a tiger seemed to have raked it's claws across one of his arms. A middle-aged veteran also threw up her hands and decided to stay. This was her last field mission, then she would be retired to a desk job. Four in total.

"Nobody else wants to die with their comrades?" The tiger-man's voice was low and gravelly. The agents who had not volunteered could not meet the eyes of the group that did.

"I see." The Tiger of Er Mei shook his head in disgust, then nodded to Jim and the volunteers. "I see the apple did not fall far from the tree. You are indeed related to Kim Possible."

The tigress and her cubs appeared behind the tiger-man, and she nudged him with her head.

"I forgot to mention," The talking tiger managed a smirk on his feline face. "Madam Tigress and her cubs give you three more lives. And I honour the memory of my mother and let you go too, Jim Possible."

Jim could feel relief flood through him, and he could hear the men and women that were with him, cheering quietly. But now... now Jim felt anger. The smirk on the tiger-man's face said it all. They had been playing with them. "You were playing us?"

"Not playing. Testing." The man with a tiger's head leveled a look at Jim. "We are all testing and we let you come to us because I thought that you would give us a different perspective. I really did not think that cubs would be put into danger, if I had, I would have killed the lot of you immediately."

"What kind of perspective are you looking for? Why?" Now Jim was wary. The tiger-man just smiled at him, refusing to answer.

"No more questions, Jim. None shall find us again but if people come looking, they will disappear like the others. A tiger's territory is vast and we will drive out any who stay."

"But what about the people that were here? This is their home-"

"The tigers were here first. And now there aren't many of us." The tiger-man snapped back, the topic of who this land belonged to obviously a sore point. "This is because of you humans. You breed like a plague and consume everything and now you complain about a little death? Your kind kills us to mount our pelt on your walls, please excuse me if I have little pity for your murderous breed."

The rumbling growls of the tigers signaled that it was time for Jim to depart. He made to grab Angelo's body but a tiger quickly stood in his way and snapped at his hand.

"That fool is food. Now leave, Jim Possible. Before we change our minds and forget about honouring what your sister has done for some of us and I forget that I had a human mother." The Tiger of Er Mei pointed back to the village.

Jim didn't need to be told twice. All in all, he knew the losses were acceptable. Only one casualty, the rest had wounds that weren't life-threatening yet.

"Go. We'll leave this clearing and then bandage everyone. Roll out." Jim helped shoulder someone who's left leg was badly mauled, making sure everybody was heading out of this clearing. As he reached the part of the clearing where it suddenly became forest, Jim turned his head and looked back.

The tigers were all gone. The only one left was the Tiger of Er Mei who stood regally in the white snow, near the carnage of Angelo's body. He raised his arm and gave a firm wave goodbye, then snow blew into Jim's eyes, momentarily blinding him. When he could see again, the clearing was no longer a clearing, just a continuation of the forest.

"Where did they go?" The man in Jim's arms asked.

"I don't know. But we gotta get out of here." Jim shivered as the hairs on the back of his neck raised. It felt like some huge animal was breathing down his neck and he was in no hurry to test the tiger-man's patience. They followed their footprints back to the abandoned village, Juan having radioed for medics and coptors to take them away. Help was waiting for them when they got there and Jim had only just handed the fellow in his arms to a medic when an airman came up to him and handed him a tablet.

"Jim." Dr. Director's one-eyed visage looked out at him grimly. "Report."

"Evacuate the area, ma'am." Jim rattled off the coordinates and the surrounding radius he thought was far enough outside the tigers' territory. "Agent Donovon was the only casualty. Everybody else is wounded, but if we get some people to look at them quick, they'll be fine."

Jim again, quickly went through what had happened. He was more concerned about Angelo's death and felt relieved and a little bit guilty when Dr. Director absolved him of any fault.

"He was always hot-headed." Dr. Director shook her head sadly. "I'll have to inform his family. Is there anything else, Jim?"

"One more thing: I'd also like to make a few commendations. Everybody was very brave, but," Jim said wearily. "Agents Lopez, O'Neill and Au-Yeung performed above and beyond what was required of them. Their valour and willingness to sacrifice themselves for their fellows is rarely seen. I'd like to have that noted down, please."

"Noted, Jim. Now, please head to GJ European headquarters for a full debriefing."

"Then you'll put me back in the field?" Jim asked eagerly. He didn't want to stop. He didn't want to rest. He didn't want to have to think about anything, he just wanted to keep going so he didn't have time for thinking.

"No, you need rest, Jim." Dr. Director said firmly. She only had vision in one eye, but she could see the fatique, expertly hidden in Jim's eyes. And she could see how young the Possible twin was, even through the screen. "Your brother will be joining you after he finishes in Egypt. Over and out, Jim."

"Damnit." Jim breathed out. But he had his marching orders... tucking the tablet under one arm, he boarded the plane, immediately going around to check on his agents.

Nine. Including him, they were nine altogether.

'There's one missing.'

Jim clamped down on that negative thought and sat next to Juan who welcomed him with a tired smile.

* * *

endnote: So there you have it. My writing has seen better days. Hope y'all enjoy this and I hope I get another update out soon and I don't make y'all wait as long as I did before... sorry again!


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